Thank you to everyone so far who has so generously donated to The Salvation Army this holiday season.  Your donations to the red kettles and the overall Red Kettle Campaign have brought us within $184,000 of our campaign goal of $1,700,000.

We need your help to fill in the rest so that we can continue to provide essential services throughout the coming year.

Although the red kettles and familiar well ringers are out of site for the season, it’s not too late to give.  The Red Kettle campaign will continue online and by phone through January 31, 2013.

Click here to make an online donation to The Salvation Amy Red Kettle Campaign or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-825-2769).   To give directly to a specific Salvation Army location in your community, visit www.onlineredkettle.org and search for Corps Community Center nearest you.

So far, we have received $1,515,000 toward our goal of $1,700,000, which represents a 2.29% decrease from this time last year.  We are grateful for the immense giving we have already received in the form of kettle and other donations.  We know that our community can rally to help us meet our goal.

Individuals and families in Western Michigan and Northern Indiana continue to struggle with sustained unemployment and economic uncertainty. The need for reaching the goal is critical, because these are exactly the people we strive each year to help.  The number of people turning to The Salvation Army for assistance continues to rise.

The Salvation Army receives nearly 70 percent of its yearly donations during the Red Kettle Campaign.  These funds are used not only to support Christmas programs and services, but to help The Salvation Army serve those in need throughout the entire year. The Salvation army in Western Michigan uses these funds to provide utility assistance, housing assistance, food and clothing assistance, as well as Emergency Disaster relief.

Every donation, however small, helps us provide critical assistance to needy individuals.  Donations to the Red Kettle Campaign not only support the services we provide at Christmas time, but throughout the entire year.

Again, thank you to all of our donors and supporters for helping The Salvation Army “Do the Most Good.”  We wish all of you a Happy New Year.