Here’s how your kettle donations add up
When you volunteer to bell ring or give at a red kettle, you help improve, and even save lives. The money dropped in a kettle goes right back into your local community.
By now you’ve likely heard that two hours of time ringing at a Salvation Army red kettle raises about $60 in donations. So where does that money go? Good question!
Every day of the year The Salvation Army provides basic needs, housing, youth services, rehabilitation, and counseling and spiritual care to people in the communities we serve. The Salvation Army is also often the first to arrive and the last to leave during times of disaster or crisis.
Here are just some examples of the ways your donations help us Do the Most Good®:
Housing assistance
Krystal Barrack’s life got way out of hand, but after serving jail time and living in a halfway house she found her way to the The Salvation Army.
The Army provided her with an apartment in one of our transitional housing facilities. She lived there for two years, stayed sober, found a job, and got her daughter back.
Now in 2016, she’s a graduate with a machinist degree, who not only works, but recently received a promotion. Krystal enrolled her daughter into a charter school and is ready to move into her own place.
The Salvation Army provided the support Krystal needed to get back on her own two feet — but we couldn’t do it without your help.
“For the first time in my life, I have control,” smiled Krystal. “I never thought I’d be here. I never realized there were people out there to help people like me.”
Food shelves
“For so long I had so much pride,” explained Trisha Anderson, single mother to five boys. “I never thought I was down on my luck enough to need it (food shelf assistance).”
But after years of struggle, she finally did ask for help. With little income and lots of mouths to feed–Trisha knew it was time to turn to The Salvation Army.
“There were times that I struggled really hard,” she said. “The food shelf is a big, big help and I get emotional because I’m grateful. I feel blessed every day I come in here. I feel honored.”
Clothing assistance
After a fire broke out at an apartment complex in Duluth, your donations to The Salvation Army helped dozens of people rebuild their lives.
The fire damaged 19 units at the Applewood Knoll Apartments, displacing 21 adults and 23 children. Thanks to your donations, The Salvation Army family store was able to open its doors and let the survivors shop for free. People who lost nearly everything could replace household goods, furniture, and clothing at no cost to them.
Emergency Disaster Services
July of 2016 went down as one of the busiest months in recent memory for The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster teams in Minnesota and North Dakota.
From fires to floods and tornadoes, teams responded to dozens of incidents and supported people impacted by disaster.
Salvation Army volunteers and staff served more than 1,000 meals in Hill City, Minnesota after strong storms hit that area.
People in Litchfield and Watkins relied on snacks and water from The Salvation Army after a tornado hit. And residents impacted by flooding in central and southern Minnesota counted on clean up kits donated by the Army.
These are just a few of the ways your support helps The Salvation Army serve our community, at Christmas and all year long.
Please join The Salvation Army by volunteering or making a donation to support your local community today.