The Salvation Army is calling for volunteers to ring the bell in this year’s shortened Red Kettle Drive.
Money collected during the annual campaign assists Montgomery County families with rent, groceries and other expenses, a need that has grown because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than three-fourths of the 122 families assisted this year were first-time referrals.
“People have just been on the verge of homelessness all year,” Brenda Deckard, campaign chairperson said, “and it’s taken a lot of our funds to help people stay in their homes.”
Area churches stepped in to help fill the requests and the state’s Salvation Army provided additional money to local units juggling the increase in clients.
“We were able to pull from their funds, which allowed our county funds to last a little bit longer,” Deckard said. “We have never run out of funds this early. We always have funds that go through the first two weeks of December.”
The campaign kicks off Nov. 20 inside Kroger and runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturday until Dec. 19, except for Thanksgiving weekend. Ringers will be required to wear masks and the bell will be sanitized between shifts.
Due to the pandemic, donations are being collected at just one site.
Volunteers can sign up for a shift at www.registertoring.com. For help with the website, call 765-401-6043 and leave a message.
Donations can also be sent to Salvation Army of Montgomery County, P.O. Box 190, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 or dropped off at First Financial Bank, 221 E. Main St. Write “Montgomery County” on the note of your check.
