CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The need is steep this year for donations to the Salvation Army. Officials with the Charleston Salvation Army say their donations to the Red Kettle Drive are up from this time last year, but they are well behind where they need to be to meet this year’s fundraising goals.
“Of those who registered with us this year, 38-percent were new. They’d never registered with the Salvation Army or any other agency for any type of assistance,” said Major Darrell Kingsbury.
Kingsbury said people can help in a variety of ways. He said donations to the kettle are certainly appreciated, but they also need volunteers to ring the bell and man those kettles. Furthermore, Kingsbury said a big help is to go on-line and set up a virtual red kettle to solicit donations from online friends and family.
“It’s a sad thing and it’s a little bit frightening for what the winter and spring holds for these folks with huge utility bills and how they are going to pay for them,” he said. “Lots of these folks have just lost their jobs. It’s rough out there.”
Kingsbury said many of those who have come to seek help this year have donated to the Salvation Army for many years.
“It’s awkward for them to come and ask because they’ve never had to,” he said. “But they’ve help folks for many years and now we get a chance to say thank-you.”