Salvation Army Butler Corps reaches Red Kettle donation goal at last minute
The final numbers for the Salvation Army’s annual holiday Red Kettle campaign have been tallied.
When the dust settled, the Salvation Army Butler Corps just managed to reach its donation goal of $92,000.
The Butler Corps could not provide an exact figure, as they are still anticipating receiving a matching grant from Salvation Army headquarters in New York. However, final numbers from the Western Pennsylvania Division indicate that the Butler Corps received $92,908 as of Thursday, Feb. 1.
According to Major Darlene Means, the Butler Corps reached its goal after Christmas thanks to a series of late donations.
“After Christmas, we received several donations through the mail that were earmarked for our Red Kettle campaign,” Means said. “We were able to add those amounts to our figure.”
Means estimates that several thousand in donations came after Christmas. By then, the eponymous “red kettles” had removed from sidewalks for the year, and the only way to contribute to the campaign would have been by mail.
Previous Butler Eagle reports show $87,000 in donations was raised before the start of the new year — $79,000 by Dec. 22 and the final $8,000 was attributed to a tally of gifts by check and last-minute donations.
“After Christmas, we got the remaining balance to meet our goal,” Means said.
Means added that she isn’t sure yet what the donation goal will be for the Red Kettle campaign for the next holiday season.
The $92,000 raised by the Butler Corps are a small fraction of the more than $2.4 million raised by the Salvation Army’s Western Pennsylvania Division, of which the Butler Corps is a part. The Western Pennsylvania Division comprises 28 counties, including Butler.
This holiday season, the Western Pennsylvania division surpassed its donation goal of $2,345,000, with $562,500 coming from Allegheny County.
“We weren’t sure there for a little while if we were going to make it to the goal,” said Western Pa. public relations director Nicole Harrell. “We’re just really grateful for all the support.”
“For more than 150 years, the Salvation Army has remained steadfast in serving our communities and thanks to this ongoing support, we will never stop,” said Major Gregory Hartshorn, Divisional Commander for the Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania, in a news release.
Donations from the Red Kettle campaign will fund the Salvation Army’s annual operations, including its feeding programs, rent and utility assistance, and youth and spiritual programs.
“We have shelter for people experiencing homelessness. We have a big summer camp coming up,” Harrell said. “We have back to school bashes, backpack drives, school supply drives … lots of services.”
Although the Red Kettle campaign has ended for the year, the Salvation Army’s Western Pennsylvania Division accepts donations year-round through its website or through the mail.
“The Red Kettle is our main fundraising effort for the year,” Means said. “But people can still donate to the Salvation Army throughout the year.”
