The Salvation Army will be out and about from 8 May at the Rose City Shopping Centre as part of their annual Red Shield Appeal.
They have already kicked off their local appeal with their second annual Red Shield Appeal breakfast at Club Warwick RSL this morning.
Warwick Salvation Army officer Captain Richard Hardaker said the event had become their major fundraiser and all money raised both this morning and next week would stay in the local area.
“This is the second year we’ve had this breakfast and last year we raised around $6000 and we hoping to raise around the same amount this time,” Captain Hardaker said late last week as he prepared for today’s event.
“There were about 50 local businesses people booked in to attend the event.
“All that money stays in Warwick and we use the money for two things. We use it for our Christmas appeal, so we give out vouchers to families who are struggling so they can go and make their own Christmas purchases as in food and stuff.
“Also, we do a community meal every Saturday afternoon in Warwick and the rest of the funds go towards that. The breakfast is a real boost.”
The annual door-knock appeal is now a thing of the past with the breakfast and street collections now the norm for the Red Shield Appeal.
“In Rose City from 8 May through that whole week, there will be three different spots where we will be set up and people can come and make donations,” he said.
“It all goes to help the locals. We have just celebrated two years of the Saturday afternoon breakfast.
“It’s a good meal, there are about 50 that come along each week and its not always people that are struggling, it’s more people who are lonely, we just try and build community so people feel like they belong somewhere.
“It’s held at 25 Guy Street in our Salvation Army building.”
