The Salvation Army's Red Shield Appeal is celebrating sixty-one years of national fundraising that helps people in local communities who are having a tough time, including some students at Lismore and Goonellabah Public Schools.

The Red Shield Appeal has changed quite a bit since COVID ran rampant through the country in 2020. What once had been an annual doorknock, traditionally in the last week in May, has turned into a digital doorknock fundraising event that includes June as well.

Captain Philip Sutcliffe from the Northern Rivers Salvos said people can create their own fundraising page on the Salvos website, plus they will still be out and about in the community.

"We're just kicking off the appeal, and our biggest focus around here will be the last two weeks of May. We'll be out at different events and shopping centre locations. We'll be collecting out at Primex, and then we'll cover Ballina Fair, Alstonville Plaza, and Lismore Square throughout the last couple of weeks of May. And then we've got a number of other events that we'll be fundraising at. We've got some schools on board who are doing fundraisers, barbecues, and things like that as well."

For those worried that the money raised in Lismore and the Northern Rivers will be sent out of the area, Capt Sutcliffe wants to make it clear that all money raised here will stay here.

"The money that's fundraised locally stays local, and that's been a huge change for us, and the way that we can actually deliver programs and services here.

"So, we have a number of key projects that our Red Shield Appeal money goes to across the region. We cover Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina and Byron LGA's (local government areas).

"Down in Ballina, we do a free community barbecue every Wednesday, and we're seeing about 100 people come through every week now. We provide a barbecue lunch, coffee and other things like that."

"There's a really wide mix of people who are coming down there, and obviously, other people smell the barbecue and come across. We're in a good location down in Ballina, opposite the bus interchange there, so we get a lot of people coming through who just want to stop by and have a feed and have someone to chat to on Wednesday."

On top of the weekly Wednesday barbecue, Capt Sutcliffe and the team deliver hot meals on Sunday nights.

"We go out and deliver them to those sleeping rough around the Ballina community. We've been delivering between 40 and 50 hot meals every Sunday night to the community. So, that's where our Red Shield money is at work, down in the Ballina community.

(Auxiliary-Lieutenant Soseh Cowham (front left) with volunteers Carolyn (back left), Vicki (back right) and Dianna, cooking meals to deliver to people experiencing homelessness. Photo: supplied)

"Here in Lismore and Goonellabah, we've been supporting a couple of local public schools with long-life food packs to help students. We found both of those schools have a lot of students going without lunch, and obviously, when you've got an empty stomach, it's hard to concentrate and hard to learn.

"So, in partnership with those two public schools, we've been able to provide about 100 lunch packs every term, which the teachers can distribute to students, and give them something healthy to eat.

(Caption - Salvos Stores Area Managers help Northern Rivers Salvos pack 200 Food Packs for local Public Primary Schools. Photo: supplied) 

"We've also heard stories back from the schools that sometimes they're actually sending those packs home with them as well, so the students have got something to eat at nighttime as well. It's really heartbreaking in the world that we live in, with so much availability of food and so much food wastage, that there's people in our community who are going without. So, wherever we can help there, it's fantastic.

"The money also helps subsidise our low-cost Food Pantry, so we can keep the prices very low. And when people are struggling to even be able to afford to buy groceries out of the pantry, we provide vouchers that people can then go and shop in the food pantry, and all of that comes out of our Red Shield money.

"The biggest project we do is obviously our Christmas Cheer Appeal. So, what we fundraise in May goes to help buy all our toys, food hampers, and vouchers that we distribute at Christmas time. Last year, we had 285 families and nearly 500 kids who got assistance during our Christmas Cheer Appeal, so that on Christmas day, they had a hamper of food and toys under the Christmas tree, so that they could have a fantastic Christmas Day."

(Northern Rivers Salvos - Christmas Toy Warehouse, helping provide Toys and hampers for 450 Local kids at Christmas. Photo: supplied)

If you would like to donate money to help local children, families and those in need, click here to go through the website or look for The Salvos at the upcoming local events and at shopping centres.

For those who fundraise over $500 on The Salvation Army's Door Knock page, you will be sent a pair of Salvation Army socks.