The Agassiz red kettle campaign raised almost $2,000 for the Salvation Army during December 2019.
Volunteers, including Kent mayor Sylvia Pranger and Harrison Hot Springs mayor Leo Facio, rang bells and collected donations over three Saturdays outside Red Apple on Pioneer Avenue.
Organizer Rose Tustian told the Observer that Chilliwack-Kent MLA Laurie Throness also volunteered alongside Agassiz school bus driver Gary Lillico, who he has been working with to require seatbelts in B.C. school buses.
RELATED: Salvation Army kettles return to Agassiz
The campaign raised about $600 less than the previous year, when donations were collected over four Saturdays, but Tustian still considered it a success and thanked all of the volunteers for their hard work.
“I would like to give you all my heartfelt thanks for the gift of your time over the busy holiday season to support those who are in need in the communities of Agassiz and Harrison Hot Springs,” she said in an email.
She also said she’d like to bring the kettles back to the community next year.
“Next year I’m going to run it for four Saturdays so we can bring our numbers up.”
Salvation Army Christmas kettle donations fund programs providing housing, food and other support to people in poverty.
RELATED: No cash? Salvation Army USA’s red kettle campaign now accepts mobile donations
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