Christmas Kettle campaign

Once again this year, Anacortes Mayor Dean Maxwell (top left) officiated over the kickoff of the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign, dropping the first contribution in the Red Kettle. Members of the Skagit Community Band played seasonal tunes as people gathered in front of the Food Pavilion grocery store for the brief kickoff event. Anacortes Corps Captain Michael Paugh thanked band members including Don Forrester (bottom photo). He also expressed appreciation to those in the audience, and to event participants including Maxwell, Skagit County Commissioner Don Munks, Port of Anacortes Executive Director Dan Stahl and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michael Broome. Pictured in the group photo (second) are volunteers including several Salvation Army Advisory Board members and families. It was a busy day in the community, with at least two food drives, the largest of which featured Anacortes High School athletes going door to door to collect food for community food banks. Soroptimists were also busy doing their thing. AHS basketball coaches volunteered their time promoting the food drive in front of the grocery store (background, photo three). The Salvation Army, which has a walk-in freezer, is still appealing for turkeys as Thanksgiving draws closer.