In response to Rachael Mackay’s letter to the editor on Dec. 2.
Your accusation against the churches of Salmon Arm is completely unfounded. Statistically, churches and other Christian organizations do more than 80 per cent of all the charitable work that takes place around the world. Thankfully, many secular charitable organizations so generously do the rest. The Salmon Arm churches are involved in the following: they have a ‘compassionate fund’ for needy people that show up at their door daily, and they never leave without a grocery voucher or a food hamper. The Churches Thrift Store gives away anything the poor and homeless need at no charge, plus all profits from the store go right back into our local charities. They operate the food bank, the Second Harvest, the Salvation Army homeless shelter, as well as the Pregnancy Support Centre. They have an emergency dental clinic for those in pain that cannot pay. There are also several soup kitchens that serve lunches during the week, etc. No doubt I have overlooked a number of other services the churches oversee in our community; to them I apologize. Thankfully many local businesses and charities co-operate and though they don’t shout it from the rooftops, I believe they are doing a spectacular job of looking after the homeless.
If you or anyone else reading this would like to get involved, you can volunteer with any one of the above services and they will be more than happy to sign you up.
Ruth Trekofski
