The Salvation Army Celebrates Giving Tuesday, Encourages Supporters to Start Their Own #RedKettleReason Fundraisers

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of the fifth annual Giving Tuesday, a day promoting global giving fueled by social media, The Salvation Army is encouraging Americans to start their own #RedKettleReason fundraisers on RedKettleReason.org. Supporters are able to choose a cause area they would like their contributions to support: fighting hunger, providing shelter or ensuring Christmas assistance for those in need.

"Giving Tuesday is all about focusing on the profound sense of satisfaction felt when lending a helping hand to those less fortunate," explains Lt. Col. Ron Busroe, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army. "That's really what The Salvation Army aims to do year-round, but during the holidays, it is especially important to spread joy during a season that may be bleak for some."

For part of its own Giving Tuesday celebrations, The Salvation Army will be featured on a variety of national television programs to encourage people to donate to the Red Kettle Campaign and start their own #RedKettleReason fundraiser. Already, a variety of ambassadors have started their own fundraisers and are encouraging fans to help them reach their goals. 

• Actor, producer, musician and Salvation Army supporter Nick Cannon is raising money to help 500 kids receive Christmas assistance
• Trick-shot artist Brodie Smith is raising money to help provide 1,000 meals for people in need next year
• The "first family of viral video," the Holderness Family, is raising money to help 100 kids receive Christmas assistance
• Beauty and lifestyle vlogger Dulce Candy is raising money to make sure those who need a safe haven have a roof over their heads

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 allows 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.

To start a #RedKettleReason fundraising page, visit RedKettleReason.org and click "Start a Fundraiser" or "Get Started." Upon the creation of their fundraiser, users will specify the community for which they want to raise funds, fundraising goal and designated cause to support. There is also an option to make a general donation to The Salvation Army. A small donation can go a long way. Nationally, on average:

• If you factor in an additional $25 into your Christmas budget to donate to The Salvation Army, you can help provide Christmas gifts for a child in need
• If you stopped buying coffee once a week for a year, you could help The Salvation Army provide nearly 40 meals for people in need
• Nearly one-third of Americans plan to spend $100 or more on holiday decorations. If all of those people donated that money to The Salvation Army, they could provide over 350 million nights of shelter for those in need of a safe, warm place to sleep

To give back on this instrumental day, donors can contribute to the Red Kettle campaign at one of the more than 25,000 red kettles set up at storefronts nationwide; or they can share their #RedKettleReason and give back online at RedKettleReason.org; or through the Army's text-to-give program by texting the word "KETTLES" to 51555, they can give an amount of their choice to the Red Kettle Campaign. Donors can also volunteer their time through a number of opportunities from ringing a bell to sorting toys to serving food. Information about these opportunities is available at SalvationArmyUSA.org.

This holiday season marks the 126th Red Kettle Campaign since the program's humble beginnings in San Francisco, 1891. The Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States, providing toys for kids, coats for the homeless and food for the hungry, along with countless social service programs year-round.

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

Related Links

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org