THE Bathurst branch of the Salvation Army is looking to shake up its tactics next year after another less than stellar Red Shield Appeal.
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There was a time when the appeal was able to garner five-figure results in Bathurst, but in recent years the total has sat around the $6000 mark.
On Sunday, Lieutenant Penny Williams said volunteers had been able to collect $8087.45 for the appeal so far.
“Most of it was from the shopping centres over the last three days,” she said.
The Salvation Army volunteers had stalls at Bathurst City Centre, Stocklands Bathurst and Bathurst Chase.
There were also community volunteers helping to knock on doors on Saturday and Sunday.
School students also helped with the collection.
“We had some help from St Stanislaus’ and we had some help from Kelso [High School] on Friday,” Lieut Williams said.
She said people who did donate during the doorknock were generous, but many volunteers had reported there being a lot of people that weren’t home.
Some people had also said they wanted to donate, but weren’t in a position to as they were already receiving assistance themselves.
Lieut Williams said this year had shown that the shopping centres may need to be where the Salvation Army focuses its efforts next year.
“That could be a sign of the times, so we may just have to have static collection points next year,” she said.
She said that she also wants to try to get more businesses and sporting clubs involved in the Red Shield Appeal next year.
While Bathurst’s figure was up slightly on the total from the same time last year, it was far lower than what other areas were able to raise during the Red Shield Appeal.
In Orange, the preliminary figure was over $40,000, with more still to be counted.
The Red Shield Appeal supports the Salvation Army in its vital work across the country.
Its services include providing shelter for the homeless, assisting families in crisis through practical support and financial counselling and guiding people with addictions through to a clean, healthy lifestyle.
In a typical week, the Salvation Army will provide 100,000 meals for the hungry, 2000 beds for the homeless and up to 8000 food vouchers.
It also gives refuge to 500 victims of abuse, assistance to 500 people with addictions and provides thousands of people with counselling.
Lieut Williams said it is important to donate to fundraisers like the Red Shield Appeal to ensure people are able to get the help they need.