Just as many hands make light work, many small donations can add up to a lot.

And those donations can make a big difference to those in need.

Ian MacKenzie, the local Salvation Army’s executive director, is hoping the final week of the annual kettle campaign will see an increase in donations and maybe a few more individuals helping to staff the kettles.

“We’re a little behind,” he said in an interview Tuesday.

As of last Saturday, he said, a little more than $61,000 had come in through the campaign.

It has a goal of reaching $77,000 by the time it ends this Saturday.

The red kettles where donations are collected are a holiday tradition, a scene many are familiar with and recognize as part of the festive season.

It’s a campaign that extends far beyond the season, though. As the major fundraiser for the local Salvation Army in many communities across the country, the money raised goes to supporting its programs throughout the year.

In Whitehorse, the money generated is used for the shelter program (though the Salvation Army offers other services in the community).

The shelter program provides those in need with a place to stay, meals and some extras through the year like the annual Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners.

Over the course of the past year, MacKenzie said, 6,500 bed nights (with 14 beds available each night along with some mats when there is overflow) have been provided along with 72,000 meals. Operations at the shelter cost approximately $1.5 million.

The shelter receives money from the federal and territorial governments as well.

However, MacKenzie said, the money raised through the kettle campaign and a mail-out campaign helps support the regular programs and the extras like the upcoming Christmas dinner.

With the new shelter that will feature 25 emergency beds and 22 transitional housing units, “the cost is going to be that much more,” MacKenzie said.

Officials expect to have a more precise estimate of the operational costs early in the new year, he added.

Cash donated through this year’s kettle campaign will be directed at the new Fourth Avenue shelter, which remains under construction.

MacKenzie said he’s hopeful this last week will prove successful for the campaign in reaching its goal. If past years are any indication, he said, a large bulk of donations come in the final days of the campaign.

Part of the reason for the decline in kettle donations, he said, may be the decline in individuals volunteering to staff the kettles. It’s meant the kettles aren’t out in some locations at certain times.

MacKenzie said a strong core of organizations and individuals who regularly volunteer to staff the kettles are back for another year donating their time to help.

What there seems to be fewer of, said MacKenzie, are those volunteers who aren’t part of the core group who regularly volunteer, but rather donate a couple of hours here and there to staffing the kettles.

He said he’s not sure exactly why those volunteers haven’t come out like they have in past years, but said he’s grateful for those who have been able to assist.

Anyone wanting to volunteer in the final days of the campaign is welcome to call the kettle co-ordinator at 335-0571 or the Salvation Army office at 668-2327.

Meanwhile, like many around the city, Salvation Army volunteers and staff are making plans for their big turkey dinner Christmas day.

For the Salvation Army, it’s especially big, with upwards of 200 people often coming in for the meal that will be served between noon and 2:30 p.m.

Serving that many people is a huge effort.

But once again, as the saying goes, “many hands make light work,” and the Salvation Army is hoping to have a steady crew of volunteers throughout the day.

As MacKenzie said, volunteers are invited to contact the office at 668-2327.

Officials are hoping to set up a schedule so that the work can be divided up throughout the day from the prep work involved, to cooking and serving, to the clean up.