National Red Shield Appeal Doorknock results

The Salvation Army has thanked Australians for their generosity towards the 2013 Red Shield Appeal Doorknock, with $6.17 million being raised nationally this weekend. 

This interim Sunday evening tally is down slightly (by 5.93%) on the 2012 Doorknock weekend result.

Salvation Army spokesperson, Dr Bruce Redman, said: “Early indications are that our Doorknock result will be down slightly on last year. However, there are still many regions where results are not finalised and there will still be official volunteer collectors out, and static collection points happening, during the week ahead.

“We know many Australians are struggling to make ends meet and household budgets have been impacted by increasing costs of living. Data released by The Salvation Army last week indicated that of 2,705 of our clients who were surveyed, 66% had cut down on basic necessities, 28% could not even afford a substantial meal once a day (but would make sure their children were fed), 27% couldn’t afford heating in just one room of the house, and 58% couldn’t pay utility bills on time.

“It is to meet these and many other needs faced by everyday Australians that The Salvation Army still urgently needs public support to make this year’s Red Shield Appeal a success,” said Dr Redman.

“We thank Australians for their tremendous generosity towards The Salvation Army and encourage those who would still like to give to please send in their donations. We also thank the many thousands of volunteers who assisted us this weekend in raising these vital funds. In particular, we were encouraged by the number of young people who chose to volunteer.

“We would also like to thank our corporate supporters. Westpac has supported The Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal for the past 43 years, with more than 1000 employees and over 100 branches participating in the Doorknock weekend each year. Jones Lang LaSalle and Bunnings are also great supporters of the Doorknock,” Dr Redman said.

RESULTS BY STATE

NT                                $34,337 (-18.3%)

SA                                $247,144          (+8.5%)

TAS                              $136,593           (+30%)

VIC                               $1,455,621        (-8.87%)

WA                               $342,428           (+6.6%)

ACT                              $178,480           (-9%)

QLD                             $765,685            (-14%)

NSW                             $3,009,026        (-5%)

NATIONAL                    $6,169,314        (-5.93%)

Donations may still be made to the Red Shield Appeal by calling 13 SALVOS (13 72 58); visiting www.salvationarmy.org.au; in person at any Westpac Bank, or by posting a cheque to PO Box 9888 in your capital city. The $10.2 million Doorknock goal is part of an overall Red Shield Appeal target of $79 million. The Red Shield Appeal concludes at the end of June.

For media comment please contact Dr Bruce Redman (Vic., Tas., SA, WA, NT) – 0417 537 950 / (03) 8878 2448; or Major Bruce Harmer (NSW, ACT, Qld) – 0407 048 095 / (02) 9266 9530.