Salvation Army lunch filled with smiles and toys
This year things have been tense for the Salvation Army. It struggled to meet its December goals for its toy drive and continues to push for support for the Kettle Appeal programme. But this afternoon gratitude for all that hard work came in the form of a roomful of smiles and laughter from the city’s children.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
These children certainly had lots of reasons to smile today. Guests of honour at this year?s Salvation Army?s Christmas luncheon, the boys and girls enjoyed food and music prepared by the adults.
Major Errol Robateau, Regional Commander
?We think of the neediest of the needy. We know that we cannot help everybody, but we look for the most needy and this is why we go to the school. So that the school children?the teachers would best know the children who are very needy and we are depending on them to choose the most needy of the children so that they can enjoy something for Christmas.?
Regional Commander Major Errol Robateau says they were really concerned about whether or not they would have had enough toys to present to the children today. Luckily, last minute donations met target goals. Today one thousand children received gifts.
As an extra treat well-known Belizean artist Lela Vernon performed Brukdown for the children.
From the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall, the Salvation Army?s next stop will be in Georgeville village in the Cayo District. There hundreds of other children will be receiving similar treats and a special surprise.
Major Errol Robateau
?Whatever toys the folks give us after today we will use those to give to the needy children along the highway in Belmopan area, in the Maskall area, the areas where we had gone last year where we find the villagers, many of them they really haven?t seen Christmas and it?s meaningful to them as well and we want them to know that they are not forgotten.?
As for the progress of the Salvation Army’s kettle appeal, Major Robateau says donations have been trickling in, but the Army remains optimistic that enough funds will be collected this year for the organisation’s operations in 2006.
