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Salvation Army kicks off Red Kettle Campaign
Photo by Jonathan Coleman
Drake Starnes, 4, rings a bell for the Salvation Army at Sam's Club in Kannapolis while his brother, 3-year-old Carter, checks the collection bucket on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009.
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Published: November 22, 2009
KANNAPOLIS — The bells and kettles are out and ready for donations.
The Salvation Army in Concord kicked off its Red Kettle Campaign on Friday at Sam's Club in Kannapolis. This year, there will be 16 locations in the area with more than 3,000 volunteers ringing bells and collecting donations.
At the kickoff, the Salvation Army band played holiday songs, like "Joy to the World," and members of Crosspointe Baptist Church collected the first donations. The church has been there to start the campaign for the last five years.
"(We volunteer) because of the needs in the community, as well as the need we have to be obedient to helping others," said Leon Hawks, pastor at Crosspointe Baptist Church.
While enduring the weather can be challenging at times, Hawks said the volunteers enjoy collecting donations and are pleasantly surprised by the community's generosity.
"(It is shocking) how willing they are to give," Hawks said. "For some, you know they are giving out of their need, rather than their abundance."
The community's generosity is something representatives from the Salvation Army are counting on for this year's donations.
"We are cautiously optimistic," said Mike Steiner, chair for the Concord Salvation Army's advisory board. "This community has always had a good giving spirit."
Last year, the Salvation Army raised $120,000 during the Red Kettle campaign. There is no goal set for this year.
Donations during the holidays are not just used at this time of year, said Maj. Allen Johnson, Corps officer for the Salvation Army in Concord. The money collected is also used for helping people in the community with rent payments and other expenses throughout the year.
"It's a mission project for us," Johnson said. "This is how we do what we do, and it's not only at Christmas."
Some of the money also goes toward food orders for the Angel Tree program, which provides assistance to local families in need.
This year, more than 960 families have applied for assistance during the holidays, and of those, there are about 2,600 children, Johnson said.
Last year, the Salvation Army provided assistance for more than 800 families, and that was an increase from last year, said Corps officer Maj. Melinda Johnson.
Friday also marked the kickoff for the Angel Trees at Concord Mills and Carolina Mall. The angels, with families and their needs and wants listed on them, are now available for adoption.
This year, JC Penney is also partnering with the Salvation Army for an online Angel Giving Tree program. Adoptions will be available online through Dec. 14, at www.jcp.com/angel.
In Concord, the angels will be collected for several weeks, and the gifts will be distributed next month.
Donations will be collected at BJ's, Big Lots, Bi-Lo, Harris Teeter, Hobby Lobby, Sam's Club, Lowes Foods and Wal-Mart.
• Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152
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