On Saturday, the Jefferson City Salvation Army kicked off its annual Red Kettle Campaign at Capital Mall.
Compared to the annual United Way fundraising drive, which recently wrapped up after topping its goal, the Red Kettle campaign had a relatively quiet start.
Likewise, its goal is $288,000, just a fraction of the United Way’s campaign. Donations typically consist of the change given by people leaving or entering local stores.
After donating to the United Way and with Thanksgiving and Christmas on your mind, the Red Kettle Campaign might not be on many people’s radar.
But it should be. The Salvation Army has long been a staple in our community, supplying those in need with food, shelter and clothing. Among other things, the local shelter provides tens of thousands of meals each year.
The organization started the campaign in 1891 by a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco who had the goal of providing a free Christmas meal to poor people in the area.
The local campaign, as we recently reported, has tried a few new things over recent years with electronic giving, such as offering “text-to-donate,” Salvation Army Lt. Christopher White said. This year, it will offer a virtual red kettle as another way to give, he said.
Bell-ringing began Nov. 3 and continues to Christmas Eve. While we haven’t been big fans of the campaign moving up the starting date to before Thanksgiving, we understand they likely need the extra time to meet the fund-raising goal.
We urge the local community to give what it can, even if it’s the little change you got after making purchases at a store. Every bit helps — it helps real people who are struggling in our community.
News Tribune