Kettle campaign needs volunteers

By Erin Stewart

BELLEVILLE – The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle campaign is off to a rocky start in Belleville this year due to a lack of volunteers.

Sherry Young coordinates the campaign in Belleville. She says they can’t put out all of their 15 kettles because there aren’t enough volunteers to man them.

“We are finding that we are suffering more than ever now for people to come in to help,” Young said.

The money raised throughout the Christmas Kettle campaign is used to sustain the Salvation Army and their programs throughout the year.

This includes their lunchroom that runs everyday throughout the year excluding Wednesdays, and their warm room that provides daily dinners throughout the Christmas season from November to March.

Young is now worried they will not be able to meet their $150,000 goal.

“If we don’t have it and make that $150,000 quota we will have to close down a lot of our food programs, our warm room, our lunch room… we wont be able to open as much,” said Young.

Young says she is hoping the younger generation steps up and starts to volunteer, starting with the 2 hour shifts that are required at a kettle location in town.