Despite falling short of collections during the 2022 holiday season, the Columbus and Starkville Salvation Army chapters begin their Red Kettle campaigns on Friday and aim to collect a combined $175,000 this year.
Taking place each year during the Christmas season, the campaign is the organization’s largest fundraising effort. The money raised helps fund assistance efforts throughout the following year – from food pantries and clothes closets to rental and utility assistance.
Columbus branch Capt. Thomas Johnson told The Dispatch Thursday during its campaign kickoff event that the Salvation Army hopes to collect $100,000 from donors this season. Last year, those collections totaled roughly $60,000, with a goal of $73,000.
That starts with recruiting more people to ring bells.
“We were down in total kettles (bell ringers) last year, which means that we have to then evaluate our yearly plans and kind of adjust our budget based on what didn’t come in,” said Johnson, who is in his first year leading the branch. “So this year, we’re hoping that we will reach our goal this year because there is a greater need.”
In Starkville, Salvation Army Service Center Manager Tatiana Burgess said her team hopes to raise $75,000 despite only raising $36,000 in 2022.
“We want to have those funds to be able to give the community what they’re asking for,” she said. “People come in after house fires, and if they’re in a homeless situation, being able to give them clothes and food and any necessities that they need is important.”
This holiday season, Johnson said he has recruited 28 bell ringers and is hoping to have at least 60 to 70 total placed at grocery stores such as Walmart and Kroger in Columbus, West Point and even Macon to help boost donations. Burgess hopes to reach 100 bell ringers in Starkville and will place them at Kroger and Walmart Supercenter.
Bell ringers, either volunteers or paid, are stationed by kettles throughout the day during the campaign. Individual shifts are typically about two hours, the Columbus branch website reads.
“If all our locations are covered, that means the more we get the word out and the more the donations will be able to come,” Johnson said.
Both Johnson and Burgess said they are changing things up this holiday season to boost both bell ringer recruitment and donations.
Johnson said the Columbus branch is providing online donation options through the organization’s website and using QR codes on the red kettle signs in front of stores. He is also reaching out to local groups to find new volunteers, which the branch has not done in the past.
“We’re also reaching out to companies, organizations, churches and different individuals to say, ‘Hey, I want you to step in and help us fill these locations,’ and the community has already stepped in and began to call and ask about volunteering opportunities with us,” Johnson said.
Burgess said she started recruiting volunteers in October and looks specifically for “energetic people” to ring the bells and collect donations. She hopes to partner with live musicians between now and Christmas to help increase collections.
“We plan to have some smiling faces out there and actually people who are doing things other than just running the bells,” she said. “So we’re encouraging live musicians to come. We want people who have some type of presence that will attract more donations. We still have plenty of spots.”
For more information on being a bell ringer, contact the Columbus branch at (662) 327-5137 or the Starkville branch at (662) 324-3304.
In addition to the food pantry and bill assistance, The Salvation Army also hosts the Angel Tree Program every year at Christmas. The program allows the public to “adopt” children and purchase items from their wish lists so they can have gifts at Christmas. The program is currently underway in Columbus, 368 kids having already applied and about 168 being adopted already.
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