THUNDER BAY — After all the holiday numbers were in, the Salvation Army surpassed its fundraising goal by more than just pocket change.
Initially, the Journey to Life Centre had reported they had met and narrowly passed the goal of raising $260,000 by a thousand dollars.
However, Gary Ferguson, executive director of community and residential services, said the updated amount is more than $280,000.
"We ended up at $281,000, which was surprising. It helps because most of our costs have gone up too," Ferguson said.
"Even though I brought my goal up from the previous year with the hopes that we'd be able to do that too, to offset some of the costs that we're seeing at the centre, but to see the additional $21,000 - that's phenomenal."
Ferguson noted that the Journey to Life Centre provides year-round support.
"Although the kettle campaign is our biggest campaign supporting the Salvation Army, we really wanted people to know the money covers our services for 365 days a year.
"So we do stuff at Christmas. We give out hampers and toys. But the money that we're getting in December, is going to also provide somebody with a sandwich in July."
A digital campaign helped the charity raise an additional $21,000 in donations. Ferguson said the Salvation Army has various forms of advertising, but the online campaign made donating simple and straightforward.
"I think that's the way of the future," Ferguson said about digital campaigning.
"You know, there are things that we want to streamline and work on but it was successful. So I think digital alone is not the only answer. We can't just go digital and neglect the other channels that we used in the past."
The Journey to Life Centre will be using funds to help with various programs and supports, including its transitional housing program, its food bank, the nutritional program at St. James School, as well as its shelter supports and the soup van.
