Once again the local community pulled together to help Sarnia's Salvation Army reach its kettle campaign fundraising target in late December.
Captain Brad Webster said it was uncertain during the final week.
"Coming up to the end of the campaign we were a little bit behind and we were a little worried if we were going to hit our goal or not, but we did have some last minute donations come in that final week. We ended up finishing the campaign at $175,494.54 exactly," said Webster.
He said the final result was higher than they hoped.
"That was over our target of $165,000. So, we actually finished with about $10,500 more than our goal," Webster said.
Every dollar raised is directed back into the community.
"It's used to support our programs that we offer here in Sarnia, whether it be our foodbank, dental/rental assistance, utility assistance, our outreach vehicle. Those types of programs that we offer back to the community each year, helping those who are in need, that's exactly where this money goes back into," he said.
Webster said they really appreciate the support.
"We live in one of the most generous communities that I've ever served in and we just want to say thank you to everybody who was involved in the kettle campaign," he said. "Whether it be somebody who volunteered their time on the kettle, or counters, or pick-ups and drop-offs, or the person who put in whatever spare change they had in their pocket. We just thank the community so much and it will go a long way to helping those in our community that are in need."
Planning for the 2025 campaign starts this July.