December of 2014 has been one unlike many others, and Captain Glen Fraser says a normally busy month has been on another level after the fire that began the month. However, he says that it has also been a month that has shown what Yorkton can do in a crisis.
“There are many children and families having a merry Christmas due to the generosity of the community.”
The fire victims are in new homes now and are getting back to life as normal. He says that they were first on the scene to deal with the emotional crisis as soon as it happened. He notes that things like Flaman’s Rentals giving all residents new beds and other businesses giving food, clothing, small appliances and other essentials have been an example of what a community can do, and how “Yorkton takes care of Yorkton.”
“Hopefully in the years to come they can look back and say ‘my community supported me,’ because we believe they did.”
Meeting the needs of the community is the primary goal of the Salvation Army, Fraser says, and that’s the driving force behind everything they do.
“If we had no clothes donated to the fire victims, we would have taken everything off our shelves to give to them... What we have on our shelves to sell, which helps us pay rent and the bills, is what we will give away if necessary. We’re a resource to the community and we pride ourselves on being part of the community.”
Unfortunately, there is now also a higher demand on the services they offer. The number of hampers has increased to 250 from 200 last year, and over 300 kids needed help, up from 230 in 2013. While the community overall is doing well, Fraser says it’s clear there are people within the community getting left behind.
“As prosperity booms, those in the upper end take off, while those in the lower end seem to get left further behind.”
Donations are still being accepted, and Fraser reminds people that if people date their donations for 2014 they can still count for this financial year.
While this is the big fundraising month, Fraser says that it’s important to know that the Salvation Army is always part of the community, doing what they can for people who need help. He says that money and time are both things that they can always use, with more volunteer spots opening up in the near future. The budget for each year is the amount of money that is raised, and they always plan to use every cent to help the community.
“We’re not here just at Christmas time, we’re not just here when disaster strikes... We are here 52 weeks a year, what we have left over after Christmas goes to operate the food bank all year round.”
