VALDOSTA – Many people think of donating money or time to the Salvation Army during the Christmas kettle drive but the charitable organization is a year-round endeavor.

And donations and volunteers are appreciated any time of the year, according to a Salvation Army representative.

“When people think about the Salvation Army, they think about free stuff,” Salvation Army Lt. Chris Thomas said. “But while the Salvation Army does offer free programs, we have to pay for the stuff.”

The Salvation Army offers people help with utilities, food and clothing. It runs a transit lodge that sleeps and feeds about 12 people, seven days a week, throughout the year; the lodge is regularly full each night, Thomas said.

The Salvation Army operates a thrift store on North Ashley Street. The Troup Street headquarters hosts a Cub Scout troop, Narcotics Anonymous, corporate basketball groups, he said.

It leads Sunday church services, with 9:30 a.m. Sunday school and 10:30 a.m. worship service. The Salvation Army coordinates the annual Empty Stocking Fund that provides Christmas toys to hundreds of Valdosta-area children.

It also sponsors a Salvation Army Character Building program, Thomas said.

During the past several weeks, the Salvation Army of Valdosta has sent 25 area kids to summer camp, he said. The cost is $210 per youth. The Salvation Army is holding a drive to fund the camp costs, Thomas said. 

The Valdosta office won a coronet award for bringing such a high number of youths to camp. 

The kids are ages 6 to 18 years old, Thomas said. They are members of the Salvation Army Character Building program.

Camps run throughout the summer at Salvation Army sites in North Georgia. 

For many youths, camp and the drive to camp offer first-time opportunities, ranging from first time eating at a Chick-Fil-A to first time leaving Valdosta to a girl who showed up with a garbage bag as luggage receiving a duffel bag, Thomas said.

Kids come back positively impacted by camp, Thomas said. 

As for funding, it’s been seven months since the 2017 kettle drive ended. The Christmas kettles serve as the chief fundraiser for the Salvation Army. The kettle funds ran out a while back, Thomas said.

The Salvation Army would like to provide more programs. Thomas used the on-site, indoor basketball court as an example.

He said he would like to see the basketball courts available for community use. But he said the Salvation Army cannot afford the cost of electricity to light and keep it cool on a regular basis and more volunteers would be needed to supervise the courts.

“We can always use more volunteers,” Thomas said.

To donate, send checks to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1593, Valdosta, Ga. 31603; or donate online: salvationarmyGeorgia.org; for more information, call (229) 232-4724.