The Salvation Army’s iconic Christmas Red Kettle campaign, now in its 131st year, is struggling to meet its Hawaii fundraising goal for the 2022 holiday season.
With only five days to go before Christmas, donations in Hawaii currently sit at 67% of a goal of $750,000.
Donations to Red Kettles stay in the local communities where they are donated. The bell ringers will be working at Red Kettles until Christmas Eve.
The Salvation Army, facing increased demand for services due to a combination of rising costs and persistent poverty related to the pandemic, increased its campaign goal for Red Kettles by approximately $100,000 on top of the $650,000 raised in the season. Christmas 2021.
Meeting growing needs also becomes more of a challenge each year at Red Kettles as consumers carry less cash, the closure of many brick-and-mortar retailers where the Army would traditionally install kettles, and more online shopping, which means less Pedestrian traffic. in commercial areas. This year, there is also the effect of high inflation.
“While I am concerned that the first few donations have been a bit slow, I remain hopeful that we can still meet our fundraising goal this year,” said Maj. Phil Lum, Division Commander for The Salvation Army of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. “Hawai’i has a history of supporting The Salvation Army’s efforts to help our most vulnerable neighbors each year.
“Even as we face greater needs, I believe our community will come back to support us this year. We would also like to extend our Aloha to everyone for your generosity and kindness during the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”
The Salvation Army has made it easier and safer than ever to support their work in kettles or online. People can donate in a number of contactless ways, including:
- Virtual Red Kettles: Support your local community’s Virtual Red Kettle at RedKettleHawaii.org
- Online Giving – Make an online donation at Hawaii.SalvationArmy.org to help The Salvation Army love beyond Christmas.
- Kettle Pay: It’s easy to donate via Kettle Pay at Red Kettles around Hawaii using Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, or Venmo.
- Amazon Alexa: Use Amazon Alexa by saying, “Alexa, donate to The Salvation Army,” then specify the amount.
- US Mail: Send a check to a local Salvation Army corps. Visit Hawaii.SalvationArmy.org for a list of the bodies on the islands.
This year, donors in Hawaii have additional ways to support The Salvation Army, including:
- Share a Holiday Feast: Through December 31, customers at all Foodland and Sack N Save stores in Hawai’i will be able to make donations at checkout through Foodland’s “Share a Holiday Feast” program to help the least Lucky in Hawai’i. Customers can donate cash, change or use Maika’i points to help. Those donations will be converted into Foodland gift certificates and distributed by The Salvation Army to families in need on each island where the donations were received.
- Burger King Hawai’i: In partnership with Aloha United Way, customers can make cash donations at all Burger King Hawai’i restaurants through December 31. Donations will go towards gifts from keiki Angel Tree and will provide support to those in need throughout the year. .
