A knock at the door changes a life.
Major Greg Simmonds from the Peterborough Salvation Army Corps visited the Grove on December 13th. He brought special greetings and expressed sincere appreciation to LCS students for their volunteer community service work that supports the Salvation Army Christmas Kettles Fund-raising Campaign and for their support of other programmes.
At Christmas, some five thousand seven hundred people in the Peterborough area will be touched by the support of the Salvation Army through the distribution of Christmas food hampers for those in need. Two thousand five hundred children will receive toys through the Salvation Army Toy programme.
The Army Temple will also serve Christmas dinners, with all the trimmings, to about one hundred and fifty people on Christmas Day. Some of these meals will be delivered "piping-hot" to shut-ins who are unable to leave their homes.
At LCS, through Project BOB – Bring One Back – students and staff donate canned goods for the local Food Bank from their trips to Lakefield. With their own food items, they bring one back to contribute to the Food Bank which is also run by the Salvation Army. Grade 12 student Yulie Saunders and her team have done amazing work in organizing this project at the Grove.
With reference to the familiar Salvation Army kettles in malls and street-corners today, Major Simmonds recounted the story of how the kettles first came into use in San Francisco back in the late 1800’s. He said that, one particular winter, there were many more people in need than in previous years.
The local Salvation Army Officer took a soup kettle (large cooking pot) onto the main street-corner of San Francisco and asked passers-by to help feed the hungry by putting money in the kettle. The practice has now encompassed the globe.
Major Simmonds also told another story.
He began, “Back about fifty or so years ago in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), there was a knock at the door of an apartment on Christmas Eve. A young boy heard the knock and went to tell his mother that someone was at the door.”
“The young boy was an only-child who lived with his mother and father in a small apartment. His father was afflicted with alcoholism and often ran into trouble with the authorities which led to the father’s spending significant time in jail.
The family was very poor with nothing much to look forward to at Christmas,” he continued. He added, “Basically, you could say that it was quite a dysfunctional family.”
The knock came again at the door. When the mother opened the door, there was a man standing there who said, “I have brought a special hamper of food for you and your family at Christmas.” The man then added, “I will be back in a second. Please take this basket of food as a gift from our people for you and your family.”
The man then went back outside and soon returned with another basket. The young boy was totally amazed because this basket contained toys and other special gifts.
Major Simmonds said, “You know that little boy never forgot about the knock on the door that Christmas Eve and the kindness of the man who brought the food and gifts.” He concluded simply by saying, ”I was that little boy and the man was a Salvation Army Officer.”
After that event, Major Simmonds began taking part in many of the activities and programmes that were available at the Salvation Army congregation. This began his spiritual journey to become an Officer, himself, in the Salvation Army.
God bless you, Major Simmonds.
* * *
Back
At Christmas, some five thousand seven hundred people in the Peterborough area will be touched by the support of the Salvation Army through the distribution of Christmas food hampers for those in need. Two thousand five hundred children will receive toys through the Salvation Army Toy programme.
The Army Temple will also serve Christmas dinners, with all the trimmings, to about one hundred and fifty people on Christmas Day. Some of these meals will be delivered "piping-hot" to shut-ins who are unable to leave their homes.
At LCS, through Project BOB – Bring One Back – students and staff donate canned goods for the local Food Bank from their trips to Lakefield. With their own food items, they bring one back to contribute to the Food Bank which is also run by the Salvation Army. Grade 12 student Yulie Saunders and her team have done amazing work in organizing this project at the Grove.
With reference to the familiar Salvation Army kettles in malls and street-corners today, Major Simmonds recounted the story of how the kettles first came into use in San Francisco back in the late 1800’s. He said that, one particular winter, there were many more people in need than in previous years.
The local Salvation Army Officer took a soup kettle (large cooking pot) onto the main street-corner of San Francisco and asked passers-by to help feed the hungry by putting money in the kettle. The practice has now encompassed the globe.
Major Simmonds also told another story.
He began, “Back about fifty or so years ago in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), there was a knock at the door of an apartment on Christmas Eve. A young boy heard the knock and went to tell his mother that someone was at the door.”
“The young boy was an only-child who lived with his mother and father in a small apartment. His father was afflicted with alcoholism and often ran into trouble with the authorities which led to the father’s spending significant time in jail.
The family was very poor with nothing much to look forward to at Christmas,” he continued. He added, “Basically, you could say that it was quite a dysfunctional family.”
The knock came again at the door. When the mother opened the door, there was a man standing there who said, “I have brought a special hamper of food for you and your family at Christmas.” The man then added, “I will be back in a second. Please take this basket of food as a gift from our people for you and your family.”
The man then went back outside and soon returned with another basket. The young boy was totally amazed because this basket contained toys and other special gifts.
Major Simmonds said, “You know that little boy never forgot about the knock on the door that Christmas Eve and the kindness of the man who brought the food and gifts.” He concluded simply by saying, ”I was that little boy and the man was a Salvation Army Officer.”
After that event, Major Simmonds began taking part in many of the activities and programmes that were available at the Salvation Army congregation. This began his spiritual journey to become an Officer, himself, in the Salvation Army.
God bless you, Major Simmonds.
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4391 County Road 29, Lakefield Ontario K0L 2H0 705.652.3324 admissions@lcs.on.ca
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Lakefield College School is a private, coeducational boarding and day school for students in grades 9 through 12, located in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada.
We respectfully acknowledge that Lakefield College School is located on the Treaty 20 Michi Saagiig territory and in the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaties First Nations, which include: Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Alderville, Scugog Island, Rama, Beausoleil, and Georgina Island First Nations. Lakefield College School respectfully acknowledges that the Williams Treaties First Nations are the stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters in perpetuity and that they continue to maintain this responsibility to ensure their health and integrity for generations to come.
We respectfully acknowledge that Lakefield College School is located on the Treaty 20 Michi Saagiig territory and in the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaties First Nations, which include: Curve Lake, Hiawatha, Alderville, Scugog Island, Rama, Beausoleil, and Georgina Island First Nations. Lakefield College School respectfully acknowledges that the Williams Treaties First Nations are the stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters in perpetuity and that they continue to maintain this responsibility to ensure their health and integrity for generations to come.
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