Salvation Army rallies the troops for Red Shield Appeal

Residents are being urged to dig deep and help raise much-needed funds to help victims of domestic violence and homelessness.

Wyndham City Salvation Army Captain Lance Jeffrey said a crew of social workers was hoping to raise a record amount of money during this month’s Red Shield Appeal.

Last year, the local crew raised $62,000, which directly funded the Salvation Army’s social work initiatives.

“That was an exceptional year. It was a pretty significant amount to raise from one area,” Captain Jeffrey said.

“We’ve actually found that we’ve been able to raise more every year; it seems like people in Wyndham are more in tune with people doing it tough. They seem to be very empathetic to the parts of the community that might be struggling.”

Captain Jeffrey said the Salvation Army needed people to donate money; but it’s also on the lookout for people to volunteer during the appeal.

“People are always fantastic. When we come to their door they say, ‘Just give me a minute to get some money’ before we’ve even had a chance to say what we’re collecting for,” he said.

“[But] We need volunteers to collect money at intersections and shopping centres and also to go door-to-door collecting.”

The Red Shield Appeal is from May 19-25. Most collectors will be fund-raising on the weekend of May 24-25. For more information about becoming a volunteer for the Salvation Army, call 9741 7359.