2016 Red Kettle Fundraising at Risk of Falling Short of Campaign Goals

Severe Weather, Slower Retail Traffic Raise Alarm On The Salvation Army's Ability to Meet Rising Social Service Needs

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Dec 16, 2016, 12:10 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With just over a week left, The Salvation Army is urging supporters to donate to the Red Kettles both in person and online as soon as possible. Red Kettle bell ringers are reporting steep declines in contributions as fluctuating temperatures, snowy conditions and an approaching Christmas Eve deadline for this year's Red Kettle campaign are putting The Salvation Army's largest fundraising campaign of the year at risk of a shortfall.

"With only one week of fundraising remaining for the Red Kettle campaign, the impact of less dollars in the kettles for even a few days will affect how we can serve those in need all year long," said Lt. Col. Ron Busroe, community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army. "The wintry weather we are seeing across the country is among things keeping people from getting out and dropping contributions in our 25,000 kettles. We need people to know how important this short period is for us and to do what they can – at the kettles or online. In addition to hundreds of year-round programs, ironically, it's urgent-need programs like warming shelters for the homeless that can suffer if weather keeps people from donating."

The Red Kettle campaign ends on Christmas Eve. To donate, Americans can:

Donate online at RedKettleReason.org
Start a #RedKettleReason fundraising page by visiting RedKettleReason.org and clicking "Start a Fundraiser" – users will be asked to specify the community for which they want to raise funds, fundraising goal and designated cause to support
Drop change into one of the more than 25,000 Red Kettles found at storefronts and street corners nationwide
Text the word "KETTLES" to 51555 to donate an amount of their choice

The Salvation Army is located in every ZIP code in the country, and the real impact of a shortfall will hit at the local level. All donations stay within the community in which they are raised, and every amount helps:

Just $25 helps give a child Christmas gifts
$2.70 provides a meal for someone in need
$30 will help provide a night of shelter for someone in need

During the holiday season, over 3 million families rely on The Salvation Army to provide them with a warm meal on Christmas Day or toys for their children. Donating to the Red Kettles also enables the Army to serve more than 25 million people a year by providing over 10 million nights of shelter and 57 million meals a year, along with substance-abuse recovery programs, after-school programs, and emergency shelter for children and families in need.

Visit SalvationArmyUSA.org to learn more and find a Salvation Army near you.

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 135 years in the United States. More than 25 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services: food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar donated to The Salvation Army is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. The Salvation Army tracks the level of need across the country with the Human Needs Index (HumanNeedsIndex.org). For more information, go to SalvationArmyUSA.org or follow @SalvationArmyUS on Twitter.

SOURCE The Salvation Army