Mr. Tim Zuniga-Brown of the U.S. Embassy, Advisory Board Chair Mrs. Judy Munroe and Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army Major Lester Ferguson sing Christmas Carols with a member of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band.  Photo by Patrick Hanna.                                                                                  

With many persons finding it difficult to make ends meet these days, The Salvation Army’s familiar Christmas kettle is one sign that help and hope are never far away.  Helping the Army to launch its annual fundraising drive was Mr. Tim Zuniga-Brown, Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy.   In declaring the kettle season officially open, Mr. Zuniga-Brown stated that “the holidays are about reaching out to your fellow man, to try and give back something to the community at large.”

On hand to help launch the kettle drive at The Mall at Marathon were The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band and members of The Salvation Army Bahamas Division Advisory Board.  Board Chairman Mrs. Judy Munroe appealed to the community at large to show the true spirit of what it means to be Bahamian by sharing with those in great need:  “This Christmas will be especially difficult for a lot of families and The Salvation Army’s Christmas Cheer program will go a long way in helping to brighten the Season for many.  We can do so much, when we do it together.”

The 2008 Christmas Kettle Campaign will run through December 24^th.  The bright red kettles can be seen outside many business places, including most City Market and Super Value locations.  Last year, the drive rose over $100,000, thanks to the generosity of the community and the gift of volunteer time by many service clubs, businesses and individuals.  “Almost just as much as we need persons to donated funds to the kettles, we need persons and groups to volunteer their time in helping to ring the bells at the kettles”, said Major Ferguson, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army.  Major Ferguson noted that with the increasingly rough economic climate: “We are receiving more and more requests for assistance from all of our social service programs, including local food banks and feeding programs.  As we try to help more persons in need, we in turn need more help from the community.  We have already seen a 38% drop in donations over this time last year, but I am optimistic of our community’s support to help us reach out to others.”