The Salvation Army's annual Christmas Kettle Campaign is on right now until Dec. 24. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

season of giving

Local Salvation Army Kettle Campaigns seek donations and volunteers

Nov 27, 2025 | 1:24 PM

NANAIMO — The Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettle Campaign is currently underway, collecting donations until Christmas Eve for those in need.

Volunteers armed with seasonal bells are set up at over a dozen locations in Nanaimo and Oceanside, including Canadian Tire, Woodgrove Centre, Port Place Thrifty Foods, and Country Grocer locations in Ladysmith, Cedar, and Chase River.

Local kettle campaign coordinator Tammie O’Rourke said they managed to raise $238,000 locally last year, with all the donations going right back into the community.

“They help fund all of the programs that the Salvation Army does out of this office, which has all the family services. Their goal is to help people before they become homeless, and they can help them with things like rent, food, and services like healthcare if needed.”

A portion also goes towards the construction of the New Hope Centre in Nanaimo’s downtown, replacing the facility’s 135-year-old two-storey Community & Family Services building, which was demolished in 2023.

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The Kettle Campaign began on Thursday, Nov. 20, and O’Rourke said so far, donations are on par with what they saw by this time last year, with a 2025 fundraising goal of $230,000.

She said more volunteers are needed, as they only have about 60 per cent of their December shifts filled, with minimal training required.

“We have a document that we send out to our first-time volunteers, which helps guide them on what needs to be done on a shift. It’s pretty easy to do, all you have to do is stand there, smile, and say thank you when people donate. We have tip-tap machines that allow electronic transactions from cards and phones, and those are pretty self-sufficient.”

For more information on how to volunteer, you can call the Nanaimo Salvation Army at 250-740-1004, or 250-716-6595, or find them on Facebook.

For those who want to volunteer in the Oceanside region, you can contact the Mt. Arrowsmith Salvation Army by phone at 250-905-0319, by email at mountarrowsmith.kettles@salvationarmy.ca, or by checking out their Facebook page.

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