Salvation Army bell ringers and red kettle collection buckets are iconic symbols of giving to those less fortunate during the holiday season.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, organizations like The Salvation Army are seeing a significant increase in demand for assistance and therefore have a greater need for donations.
Even with several thousands of dollars in grants and added sources of revenue this year, the agency has depleted its funds in Jackson County. As of Oct. 1, the local office has not been able to provide assistance to those in need, said Kendall Lambring, service extension representative of Jackson County Salvation Army.
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“We are usually able to stretch our funding out until the end of the year, but that hasn’t been the case this year,” she said.
The 2020 Red Kettle campaign is starting a week earlier than usual in Jackson County. Volunteers are needed to ring the bells outside both entrances of Walmart in Seymour beginning Nov. 21 through Dec. 24.
“Typically, we start the day after Thanksgiving,” Lambring said. “But Walmart has agreed to allow us to start earlier. They understand that we are probably going to have a harder time trying to raise funds just with how the year has gone.”
Walmart also is supporting the campaign by giving customers the option to round up their totals to the next dollar when checking out and donating the difference to the Red Kettle campaign.
Volunteers can sign up for two-hour bell-ringing shifts from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The bells will not ring Thanksgiving Day.
“We need 140 volunteers to cover all shifts,” Lambring said. “I’m never able to fill all the slots, but we do have people who volunteer every single year and groups that volunteer yearly, but I think we’re going to have a harder time this year just because of COVID.”
To sign up to be a bell ringer, volunteers can call The Salvation Army office at 812-522-8718 or they can go online and register at registertoring.com.
All money raised through the Red Kettle campaign in Jackson County stays local and is used to provide financial assistance to people to help pay their rent or mortgage and utility bills, purchase prescriptions or steel-toed work boots and pay for shelter for the homeless.
Last year’s campaign raised $17,483.11, an increase from the $15,967.86 raised in 2018.
“These amounts were low compared to previous years though,” Lambring said.
The Salvation Army Service Extension of Jackson County assisted 197 households or 439 individuals last year.
“We’ve definitely exceeded that this year,” Lambring said.
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 1, 2020, the Salvation Army served 193 households or 463 total individuals.
To give people more options to donate, The Salvation Army is offering digital donation capabilities for the first time through Apple Pay and Google Pay
Instead of just throwing loose change or folded bills into the plastic red buckets, people in Jackson County will be able to use their cell phones to scan or tap a QR code or smart chip that will take them directly to a digital donation page.
“Kettle Pay makes it even easier for donors to join The Salvation Army’s fight for good,” Lambring said. “It provides an opportunity for people to fight for the millions of Americans experiencing poverty by raising money for Salvation Army programs in their communities.”
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To sign up to be a bell ringer, volunteers can call The Salvation Army office at 812-522-8718 or they can go online and register at registertoring.com.
Volunteers can sign up for two-hour bell-ringing shifts from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The bells will not ring Thanksgiving Day.
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