Special to the Daily)
It has been a challenging time for all nonprofits this year. Due to COVID-19, Salvation Army Vail hasn’t been able to host its usual fundraisers except for the Red Kettle campaign, which typically happens between mid-November and Christmas. Even so, the Red Kettle campaign is only a small portion of the nonprofit’s annual budget and less people came out to ring the bell and less people were in the grocery stores this year. But, Salvation Army Vail had a brighter Christmas season than expected due to the support of some generous donors.
“Since COVID-19 hit, Salvation Army Vail has been inundated with requests for help with food, rent, utilities, prescription assistance and more,” said Anne Barnett, who is the volunteer board chair for Salvation Army Vail. “Requests for food are up 40%. We normally give out about 400 boxes of food each month but it’s been closer to 600. That represents about 3,000 people a month, just for food assistance.”
Special to the Daily
With less than one week to go, the biggest fundraising season for The Salvation Army Vail is in trouble. The nonprofit raises a significant portion of its annual funding during its Red Kettle Campaign, running from mid-November through Christmas Eve.
This year, the impact of COVID-19 has put The Vail Valley Salvation Army about $30,000 behind on its fundraising goal of $52,000.
The organization is serving significantly more people in 2020 with Christmas assistance, including putting food on tables, paying bills, providing rental assistance and utilities and helping place gifts under the tree. At the same time, due to the closing of retail stores, consumers carrying less cash and coins, and the decline in foot traffic, The Salvation Army is seeing a significant decrease in funds raised locally through the red kettles, which could limit its capability to provide services for the most vulnerable.