Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign: Your Help Desperately Needed

METRO DETROIT, MI — The volunteers clad in Santa suits are ringing bells, but the red kettles are mostly empty, according to The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit. The organization, which helps local residents in need, has collected only about 25 percent of its $8.4 million goal.

If collections don't pick up and remain at the current pace, the charity will have an $840,000 budget shortfall when the campaign ends on Dec. 31, according to media reports.

Besides money, The Salvation Army also needs volunteers to man the kettles in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. About a third of contributions to the charity come in the form of donations during the red kettle campaign. Volunteers can visit ringbell.org to register and can choose the community, location, date and time that’s most convenient.

In Michigan, 87 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to help people in need, according to the organization's website. The money funds about 3 million meals for the needy and 625,000 nights of shelter, The Detroit News reported.

Other services include substance abuse treatment, after-school programs, emergency disaster services, legal aid and other support to move people to self-sufficiency.

"There’s a dire need for those dollars to pay for services that people need," Russ Sjogren, general secretary and Metro Detroit commander with The Salvation Army, told The Detroit News.

Besides seeking more donations to fill the kettles, The Salvation Army is also seeking volunteers to man the collection stations, WWJ/CBS Detroit reports. About 500 kettles are still unmanned, and that puts $2.5 million in jeopardy, the report said.

The Salvation Army also gets contributions online, by direct mail, and through major corporate and individual gifts. To make a tax-deductible contribution:

• Visit salmich.org
• Text SALMICH to 41444
• Call 877-SAL-MICH
• Send a check or money order, made payable to The Salvation Army, to 16130 Northland Dr., Southfield, MI 48075

Volunteers can visit ringbell.org to register and can choose the community, location, date and time that’s most convenient.

Photo via The Salvation Army