Kirkcaldy Salvation Army: "More the merrier" as charity prepares to launch Christmas Appeal

The Kirkcaldy Salvation Army will run its Christmas Appeal after a volunteer recruitment day saw 15 attendees, however Kirkcaldy Corps leader Captain Andrew Manley said it is a case of the more the merrier.

He explained: “In certain areas, like volunteering to pick up donated gifts from drop off points or helping to make thank you packs, we've got an idea that if we've got two or three people on each of those, that's fine.

“Whereas the actual packing of toy parcels, you can't have too many. The more you have, the more you can make up in a shorter time. And you know people have less fatigue to do it etc. So, the more the merrier.”

The Christmas Appeal will see the Salvation Army look at how it can help members of the local community through multiple means, including their Christmas Toy Appeal.

Cpt Manley explains: “There are so many different ways that the Salvation Army tries to meet needs. So one way is through the Toy Appeal, which is people donating gifts that then get into parcels, those assigned to children who we've had referrals from from schools, health workers, social services, or the charities, anywhere that can give a referral.

“On Christmas Day, we will run a community Christmas Day meal for those who may find themselves on their own or isolated for whatever reason and who would just benefit from coming and having a meal together”.

Last year’s Christmas Day dinner saw more than 40 people attend.

The organisation’s famous Salvation Army Band will also take to the streets for each of the Saturday’s through December, something Cpt Manley said plays an important role in the overall funding of the appeal.

He said: “That has the dual effect of trying to bring a little bit of Christmas joy to the community, but also it helps us generate funds which then pay for the meal, the toys, gifts for people who are on their own, that sort of thing”.

The cost of living crisis of the last year means that this year's appeal will be expanded, with it stretching beyond its usual two week period to a month-long appeal. Cpt Manley said this is as much to do with those receiving, as those giving.

He said: “Usually it's just a fortnight that we advertised whereas this year, we decided to go for a month to give people a little bit more notice. Maybe they couldn't afford it until they sorted out their own commitments and family commitments, and then maybe want to donate something a little bit later”.

However, the charity is also expecting an increase in referrals compared to last year as financial difficulties affect the charity sector.

Cpt Manley said: “We're expecting it to be higher with the whole cost of living crisis. We'll also know that all charities are struggling, and so then we've heard may not be doing that appeal. So we may get some of their referrals instead. So we're expecting to be higher so that's what we're planning for”.

The Salvation Army’s national appeal will run from Monday, November 13 through to Monday, December 11. To get involved you can contact them on 01592 265621.