The Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign continues. Officials say it’s falling a little short at this point, but the Kettles will be out until Christmas eve. And they’ve opened up another way to give: it’s crypto currency.
Salvation Army officials say in 2020 they saw what they’re calling “Pandemic Poverty”, which increased their numbers of families in need. And Major Glen Caddy, Divisional Commander for Salvation Army for Western Michigan and Northern Indiana, says in 2021, the need continues.
“While they didn’t see a reduction. Still operating at elevated levels of request for assistance. . in everything from utilities, food assistance. Still coming to us at a high level.”
Major Caddy says the Red kettle campaign is their largest fundraiser each year. It supports not only Christmas but also their year-round needs and activities, making the Red Kettle campaign critical. But Caddy says the campaign is falling behind a bit.
“It’s brand new for us, new ways to donate. Portions of our community ht preft to operate in crypto. Make a way for people to do that.“
Caddy says the Salvation Army continues to try to make donations easy for a changing society; a couple years ago they introduced “Kettle Pay”, which accepts apple pay and google pay. And this year, they’re accepting crypto currency.
“It’s brand new for us. Obviously, we recognize the need for different ways to donate. There’s a portion of our community that prefer to operate in crypto currency and we felt nationally that it was time for us to make an opportunity for people to do that.”
Major Caddy says so far they have not gotten a report as to how well it’s working but will know at a future date. In the meantime, he encourages those that can to give if they can. You can find out more about giving and the crypto option at SAKENTCOUNTY.org on the “stories” page. The Red Kettles will be out until Christmas Eve but you can donate until January 31st.
