The local Salvation Army ended its “Red Shield Appeal” in May almost $10,000 below its fundraising goal—and will have to cut programs as a result.
“It’s a heart-breaking situation,” said Capt. Angel Sandoval. “We’ll have to close the small programs and try to juggle the budget.”
The Red Shield campaign is the only annual campaign that raises funds for operation costs.
The original goal was $33,000. When it became clear they would not reach that goal, the Salvation Army office in Winnipeg stepped in with $16,000, leaving $17,000 to be raised locally.
Capt. Sandoval said through a letter campaign and door-to-door appeals, they were able to raise $7,398.
Of the donations from the letter campaign, nearly $3,000 came from Fort Frances residents. Another $800 came from Emo while $135 came from Rainy River. Devlin residents chipped in $75, Barwick $30, and Stratton $20.
No donations were received from Atikokan, Morson, or Nestor Falls, Capt. Sandoval noted.
Of the 2,000 letters that were sent out to district residents, only 81 came back.
Nearly $400 was collected door-to-door from local businesses while another $3,000 came from door-to-door canvassers in Fort Frances and Emo.
Part of the difficulty was in recruiting canvassers, Capt. Sandoval explained. All 13 canvassers who volunteered already were staff or volunteers at the Salvation Army.
“It’s frustrating,” he remarked. “We’re human beings. We’re supposed to help each other.
“We don’t blame anybody,” he added.
The result of the shortfall will be cutting back in services to the local needy.
“We have to say no to some of the people who come to our doors. It’s not because we want to say no,” Capt. Sandoval said.
“We invite the community to help us to avoid saying no to the community and closing the door to some of the ministries we offer here,” he added, noting the organization helps people not only in Fort Frances but throughout Rainy River District.
Besides district residents, Capt. Sandoval said he would like to see more help from local businesses and district municipalities.
One local business is stepping up to lend a hand to the struggling organization.
As first reported in Friday’s Daily Bulletin, the local office of Instaloans, a money brokering company, is organizing a barbecue next Wednesday (June 28) from noon-2 p.m. at the Salvation Army to help them raise additional operating funds.
“We wanted to do something for the community,” said Annely Armstrong, manager of Instaloans at 540 King’s Highway.
The staff chose the Salvation Army after reading a story in the Times on May 31 telling of its financial plight.
“We’ve kind of taken the Salvation Army on as our pet project,” Armstrong said.
Staff who want to dress down on Mondays donate $3 each, which will go to the struggling charity. They also have a box in the office to collect non-perishable food donations.
Armstrong noted Einar’s, Wal-Mart, Safeway, and Cloverleaf Shop Easy all have donated hamburgers, hotdogs, and buns while Ainsworth Barwick is lending a barbecue.
This is the first event Instaloans has planned, but they hope to have more.
“We’re going to try to come up with things we can do each month between now and December,” Armstrong pledged.
They currently are planning another food drive to encourage people with gardens to plant an extra row of vegetables for canning to donate to the local Salvation Army food bank.
“It’s something anybody can do,” Armstrong said. “It’s so easy to donate a jar or two when you’re canning already.”
Details on the food drive and other events will be forthcoming.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
