After initial concern, Salvation Army Spokane exceeds Red Kettle Campaign goal

Despite concerns that the Salvation Army was falling short of its Red Kettle Campaign fundraising target, that goal was not only met but exceeded by the end of Christmas Eve after an outpouring of community support, according to Capt. David Cain.

“It was overwhelming, the outpouring of generosity,” Cain said Thursday. “Things are more expensive now … so these goals are really important for us to hit, and exceeding it is important and helpful to our operation.”

With three days left in its campaign, the Salvation Army was $57,000 short of its $320,000 goal, which the organization chalked up to Thanksgiving falling a week later than normal, shortening the fundraising timetable. Bell ringing typically begins the day after the holiday.

By the end of the campaign on Christmas Eve, people had tossed more than $350,000 into the Salvation Army’s iconic red kettles or else donated online. Donations benefit children and families through free services and programs, including food pantries, foster care programs and transitional shelters for those exiting homelessness.

The Red Kettle Campaign is the Salvation Army’s largest fundraiser of the year and has been an iconic call sign for the organization since it began in 1891, the same year the Spokane Salvation Army branch was started, Cain said. A Salvation Army officer in San Francisco had run out of funds to operate a soup kitchen, so brought a soup kettle outside, rang a bell, and asked passersby to “help keep the kettle boiling.”

“The community is helping to keep our kettle boiling as well,” Cain said. “We know these are hard times for a lot of families, and our community heard that and responded in a way that makes us feel very supported in the important work we do.”