The Salvation Army runs the Kettle Campaign every year during the weeks leading up to December 25th. Kettles are placed at businesses and locations throughout the City of Ottawa to collect much needed donations that help fund the good works of the Salvation Army. It is well documented that volunteerism is dropping, in 2023 there are less people who are willing to give of their time to assist in social endeavours. The Salvation Army uses a combination of volunteers and hired workers to meet the demand for Kettle Attendants. The hiring of Kettle Attendants does more than raise funds for the good works of the Sally-Ann, it provides opportunity for people who need employment. The attendant workers gain shifts, build confidence, maintain schedules, and perform a valuable function while adding to their job skills.
Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care Inc. (PPRC) and the Salvation Army have partnered for 15 years to provide people to work the kettles during the six-week campaign. According to Linda Simpson, Director of Rehabilitation at PPRC, these job opportunities are essential in helping people build their return-to-work skills.
PPRC is a vocational rehabilitation company that assist persons who identify as living with a disability and helps them find meaningful opportunities to enter the world of work. “Many people need a start, a place to gain confidence and use flexible short shifts to build to fulltime reintegration into work. Jobs like those provided by the Salvation Army during the Kettle Campaign are perfect for building work readiness”, said Linda.
Being a Kettle Attendant also provides a valuable service to the communities supported by the Salvation Army. The money raised supports the Salvation Army and the many services they offer. Melanie Skeggs, Manager of the Kettle Campaign for Ottawa has been working the partnership with PPRC for years, she values the clients from PPRC. “It has gotten tougher over the years to find candidates who want to work the kettles, the people provided through PPRC are essential in making the campaign successful.”
“We run an inclusive hiring process and interview potential candidates, PPRC helps us with the orientation and onboarding, ensuring that all the applicants are able to participate and do the job.” Opines Melanie.
2023 has been the biggest recruitment year for providing Kettle Attendants. PPRC identified twenty-four candidates to attend the orientation and training. Lisa Hazelwood, Job Development Team Lead for PPRC, credits the increase to the cooperative effort that developed and continues over the years. “We can always improve, but we work hard to support the people and I thank Melanie and her team for working with us. This time of year is always an all hands on deck situation because of the magnitude of the Kettle Campaign.”
Melanie states, “the Kettle Campaign is a cornerstone of the Salvation Army fund raising efforts. We count on the community we serve to support our programs. The partnership with PPRC has benefited the Salvation Army and we are proud to have provided opportunities to people who identify as living with a disability.”
A service provider and an employer working together to the success of both organizations.
As an employer, we all work with partners, we are all seeking to find the best candidates to fill our employment vacancies. So, open your doors to potential, open your team to talent and work with organizations like PPRC. Access the benefits of working with PPRC and using inclusive hiring practices to find and recruit talent. Find your best employees.
Contact PPRC at info@pprc.ca, or visit our website www.pprc.ca .