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Red kettles and ringing bells once again grace the fronts of several area businesses. That’s because this year’s Salvation Army Kettle Campaign began this morning.

From now until noon on Christmas Eve, volunteers will be working to raise money for the local Salvation Army, which operates several social services geared toward Webster County.

A formal kickoff for the campaign will be held Saturday at the center court of Crossroads Mall, according to Salvation Army Capt. Danielle Shields.

The Salvation Army youth group will be on hand to perform music and speakers will talk about the Salvation Army and its work, Shields said.

This year’s fundraising goal has been set for $102,000 — an increase of $2,000 over 2006, she said.

‘‘Our goal of $100,000 was reached last year,’’ said Shields.

The Kettle Campaign is the main source of funding for the local Salvation Army, she explained.

‘‘We’re grateful for the support from the community in the past,’’ Shields said. ‘‘We’re looking forward to another successful year.’’

Money raised in the Kettle Campaign stays local, according to Shields.

‘‘For every dollar in the kettle, 87 cents is recycled back into the community,’’ she said.

The Salvation Army seeks to provide new and more services in 2008.

‘‘We’re starting our kitchen project on Jan. 1,’’ she said. ‘‘We’re going to build a new kitchen into our old thrift store.’’

The Salvation Army provides a hot meal available to anybody in the community Monday through Friday. Groceries and prescription assistance are also provided through the Salvation Army.

During ‘‘social service’’ hours, people can go to the temple, located at 126 N. 7th St. in Fort Dodge, to receive assistance, Shields said. In the coming year, the Salvation Army will provide more case management.

‘‘We want to work with people to help them set goals, to move away from the dependency of coming in every month,’’ she said. ‘‘We want to help them help themselves.’’

Bell-ringers for the campaign will be on site from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Shields said.

With 72 hours a week to fill, that leaves ‘‘a lot of slots’’ to fill with volunteers, Shields said.

Those interested in volunteering can contact the Salvation Army at 576-1281.



Contact Jesse Helling at (515) 573-2141 or jhelling@messengernews.net

 

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