Hope During the Holiday Season

Greetings-

As I write this, crisp fall mornings and colorful autumn leaves dot the landscape. The scent of hickory burning in fireplaces wafts over while the pleasant smell of cinnamon and pumpkin spice baked goods fill many a kitchen and social gatherings. 

Another holiday season is upon us, a time to pause and reflect on our many blessings. Winter’s chill is still around the corner, but The Salvation Army is warming up for our busiest time of the year by recruiting volunteers, preparing kettles and scheduling locations for our annual bellringing campaign in the community. 

While this is normally a time of joy, there is more uncertainty and concern in many households across America and our area. Budgets are tight, and hard choices are being made around the kitchen table in homes every day. Hope is in short supply.

The Salvation Army exists to “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination.”  Since our inception, The Salvation Army has focused on providing “soup, soap and salvation.”  Meaning that for everyone who comes into our corps (church/community centers), we take care of their immediate human needs, restore dignity and then offer them a relationship with God. We have been at this work since 1865, during times of prosperity and crisis, times of bounty and times of great pain and suffering. 

Right now, more people are struggling to hold things together. We have seen the effects of job loss, shutdowns and higher grocery prices at our corps. More people are coming to Salvation Army food pantries to make ends meet, signing up for our Christmas programs to receive toys and help with their bills.  

People rely on The Salvation Army to help survive these stressful times. And we rely on the generous donations and compassion of people to meet this need. Last year, we helped 152-thousand people who came through our doors, and we provided over 137-thousand meals across the Kansas and Western Missouri Division. We are ever hopeful that those who have a bit extra will trust us with their donations that go right to helping the suffering.

I am heartened to know that when times are hard, people rally to help their neighbors. And this help often comes by more donations to The Salvation Army. During our annual Project Warmth coat drive in November, people donated more warm clothing and money than last year. We project that we will need even more cash donations during kettle season, to keep up with requests to provide rent and utility assistance and help families stay in their homes.  

In the Bible, Mark chapter 12 verses 30-31, Jesus says “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.” (NLT) How we treat our neighbors matters to God, and it matters to us. 

With all the uncertainty that is going on in the world, you can bring a bit of joy to our neighbors this holiday season. You can also provide a much-needed measure of hope to those in need.

Visit our website: GiveWithJoyKC.com to find all the ways that you can help. Please, consider making a gift or volunteering to man a kettle and provide hope during the holiday season.

Warmly, Kelly