VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Salvation Army is making a desperate plea for people to take some time to drop a few dollars in one of their fundraising kettles.

Overall, Kettle Campaign donations in BC are still about 1.5 million dollars under their Christmas goal of four million.

Deb Lowell with the Abbotsford Sally Ann says they’ve seen a 25 per cent drop in donations just over the last few days. “I’m not quite sure why that is but certainly we do have concerns because we do want to have a great campaign this year just based on the increased demand on our services, so it is somewhat of a concern yes.”

Lowell notes if people don’t have the extra cash on hand they can still help. “We still have lots of shifts available, so if folks want to spread joy in the Christmas spirit in that way we would love to hear from them.”

She adds she’s not sure why donations are down this year, but speculates it could be the fact people carry less cash or that people are just feeling more tapped out this year.

Every contribution made remains in the community in which it was given, in order to assist local people in need with food hampers