Salvation Army Launches 'Rescue Christmas' Ahead Of Holidays

CHICAGO, IL — The Salvation Army announced a change to the annual Red Kettle fundraising campaign Monday for the first time in the organization's 135-year history. On Monday, the Salvation Army launched Rescue Christmas, beginning its annual fundraising campaign nearly two months earlier than in a typical year to meet an unprecedented need, the organization said, in a news release sent to Patch.

Some of the Salvation Army Metropolitan Division corps community centers have already seen a fivefold increase in need this year, and the requests for food, financial assistance, and housing in Chicagoland are projected to rise in the coming months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the organization reported.

While the Red Kettles won’t hit the streets until November, the Salvation Army is asking
for donations online now to help Rescue Christmas. According to the news release, almost 70 percent of the Salvation Army’s donations are made during the Red Kettle Campaign.

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More information and updates: centralusa.salvationarmy.org/metro