Community
21 May, 2025
Mount Isa family fundraiser to boost the Salvos
Money raised at the family fundraiser event and the Red Shield appeal will remain in the Mount Isa community.
Mount Isa residents are invited to the Salvation Army’s family fundraiser event on Saturday.
The event, which starts at 2pm, is the major fundraising effort for the annual Red Shield appeal, which supports the community outreach programs the Salvos conduct throughout the city.
North West Salvation Army chaplains Glen and Evelyn Charles and the familiar Salvos donation buckets have been a regular sight at supermarkets in recent days as the Red Shield appeal continues this month.
Mrs Charles said all the money raised at the family fundraiser event and the Red Shield appeal would remain in the Mount Isa community.
“We would love to see as many members of community as possible attend our family fundraiser on Saturday,” she said.
“We are going to have fresh donuts, popcorn, snow cones and a baked goods sale, a trash and treasure stall and there will be kids activities throughout the afternoon.”
The event will conclude with a sausage sizzle from 5pm and a movie night for the kids from 6pm.
The Salvation Army manages a number of outreach programs in the city, which range from the Serenity House emergency accommodation space for women and children, to the drug and alcohol recovery services, and an eight-week positive lifestyle program.
The Salvos also provide bedding, clothing and food vouchers to the homeless.
The Mount Isa-based chaplains are responsible for a radius extending more than 300km from Boulia to Camooweal across to Julia Creek and into the lower Gulf.
Mrs Charles has worked for the Salvos for almost two decades but only took the step into chaplaincy with her husband Glen about 18 months ago.
The couple relocated to Mount Isa from Noosa at the end of 2023.
“I really see the Salvation Army as Christianity with its sleeves rolled up,” she explained.
“Glen and I have worked in other roles at the Salvation Army for many years, but we felt called to the chaplaincy and now we are here in Mount Isa.
“There are a lot of people in this region who are doing it tough – even though we live in an area that creates a lot of wealth through mining, there are a lot of people struggling with problems that unite us all – like having food on the table and a roof over our heads.
“It doesn’t matter if you can give 50 cents or $50 or $500 dollars, every cent we can raise is something we didn’t have before and it is money we can use for the good of the community.”
The event kicks off at 2pm at the Salvation Army headquarters, which is on the corner of West and Helen Street, next to the Mount Isa fire station.