Red Kettle campaign falls short as Salvation Army struggled to find enough volunteers
If the Salvation Army Butler Corps had enough volunteers to man its kettles over the holiday season, Maj. Darlene Means is convinced the nonprofit would have reached its $92,000 goal.
According to Means, volunteers typically staff eight locations across Butler County for the Butler Salvation Army, but on many occasions over the recent Red Kettle campaign, only two workers were available to ring bells and take donations.
“If we had all the stores covered, we would have reached our goal, probably exceeded it,” Means said in an interview Friday, Dec. 29.
The Salvation Army Butler Corps concluded its Red Kettle campaign Saturday, Dec. 23, raising $87,000 of its $92,000 goal. The group had collected $79,000 by Dec. 22 and the final $8,000 was attributed to a tally of gifts by check and last-minute donations.
Though kettles remain a popular way to donate, a significant portion of the Salvation Army’s fundraising comes from checks sent in by the community, Means said.
The $87,000 raised is in line with what the organization received last year. In 2022, the organization hoped to collect $90,000, but received $87,000 in donations, Means said.
“It was roughly the same as last year, so we might have to lower the goal a little, but may stay there and work at reaching it,” Means said.
Western Pennsylvania
The Butler Corps is part of the Western Pennsylvania division of the Salvation Army, which itself is part of the Eastern Territory. The Eastern Territory comprises 10 states plus a small part of West Virginia, along with Puerto Rico.
The Western Pennsylvania territory comprises 28 counties, including Butler.
According to public relations director Nicole Harrell, the Western Pennsylvania territory has reached 83% of its goal of $2,345,000. However, immediate numbers for the territory were only available for the period through Dec. 20, so it is likely the actual total is higher as of Dec. 29.
The goal is slightly lower than what was set last year, when the Western Pennsylvania territory sought to raise $2,400,000.
“Last year, we raised 93% of the total fundraising goal,” Harrell said. “We are hopeful for this year.”
In recent years, in addition to physical red kettles, the regional branches of the Salvation Army have offered “virtual red kettles,” allowing people to donate to the campaign through the internet.
“Not everybody is necessarily carrying cash around or shopping every day,” Harrell said. “Personally, I don't usually carry a ton of cash, so having those digital options really makes a difference.”
The Salvation Army’s red kettles normally are removed from the streets on Christmas Eve. However, as Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday this year, the Salvation Army — a church-based organization — ended the physical red kettle campaign a day earlier than usual.
“The Salvation Army is a church, so Sunday is Sabbath,” Harrell said. “People did not see the physical red kettles out on Christmas Eve.”
While the red kettles are gone until next year, those who haven’t donated yet but would like to can still do so online through the end of 2023.
Falling short of the goal will affect the budget for the Salvation Army Butler Corps. The organization will offer services, but, with less funding, it can help fewer people.
“We’ll assist people as much as we can,” Means said.
The Salvation Army Butler Corps offers rental assistance, utility assistance and is the only agency in the area that offers sewage assistance, Means said.
Three days per week — from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday — the Butler-based organization offers lunch for the community. The lunches see 55 to 65 people per meal.
During the school year, a three-day-a-week after-school program also offers food and tutoring for area children.
The organization also uses monetary donations to supplement its food pantry. The Salvation Army receives much of its food from the Butler County Food Bank, but will buy eggs, milk, butter, cheese and meat to add to its giveaways when possible.
Checks can be made out to Salvation Army Butler Corps and sent to P.O. Box 389, Butler 16001.
To support other branches of the Salvation Army to reach their goals, head to give.salvationarmyusa.org.
Means also encouraged interested volunteers to reach out. Help is needed at all times of the year, but if someone is specifically looking to ring bells at kettles, September or October is a good time to connect with the nonprofit, she said.
“Just give us a call,” she said.
