A very charitable Christmas present for the Salvation Army in Kamloops.

The annual kettle campaign raised just under $200,000 dollars in the local chapter during the five-and-a-half-week fundraiser this year, which spanned from Nov. 14 to Christmas Eve.

Major Paul Trickett with the Salvation Army says the total is above last year’s amount of $170,000 dollars, which he calls “an absolute blessing.”

Trickett says new tactics this year such as debit and credit machines helped with fundraising efforts.

“We had four of those rolled out this year and that really has made a difference for us,” he says.

“Maybe to plug you guys a little bit, we advertised on the radio this year too, and that really brought new volunteers to us and we were able to have our stands manned without any interruptions this year.”

He adds the organization is grateful for the volunteer support it has received in Kamloops.