Salvation Army needs your help this Red Shield Appeal

The Salvation Army is offering people the chance to enlist for an hour or more to support its fight to help vulnerable New Zealanders.

The Army is expanding its search for collectors for its annual Red Shield Appeal week at the start of May. The appeal raises funds to support The Salvation Army’s frontline services tackling poverty in New Zealand.

While the Army has typically used volunteers from among its staff and church members, along with clients who have volunteered to help, this year it is spreading the net wider by offering the public the chance to join for at least an hour.

Salvation Army Community Engagement manager Rhondda Middleton says the Army is extremely grateful for the dedicated support of people who gave their time to collect in the past, and the appeal has received strong support from the public. The hope is to increase the number of collectors and sites this year, allowing more people to donate and in turn allowing The Salvation Army to assist even more Kiwis living in poverty. 

People who want to sign up as a collector can go to http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/about-us/Red-Shield-Volunteer, and sign up, Rhondda says.

‘They just have to fill out a form and be ready and willing to help The Salvation Army, and we will do the rest.’

Volunteering as a collector was not just of benefit to the Army and its clients, there were upsides for the collector as well, Rhondda says.

‘You really get to feel like you’re part of something big and making a difference. And the number of compliments you get for The Salvation Army’s work during your time collecting is just amazing.’

Nationally, The Salvation Army assists over 120,000 people in need each year,  including 60,000 families with children who are struggling to make ends meet. This support is wide-ranging and includes food and practical aid parcels, budgeting advice, social work, counselling, accommodation assistance and more.

Anyone interested can sign up to volunteer or find out more at http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/about-us/Red-Shield-Volunteer