Caroline Carlson
Courtesy photo
The 2020 Salvation Army Red Kettle fundraiser was a big success, due to generosity community support.
ESCANABA This year’s Salvation Army Red Kettle fundraiser went well, according to Major Alex Norton, who runs the Escanaba Salvation Army with his wife Aimee.
The charity ran both a physical drive this year, with kettles in front of local stores, and a virtual drive, sending donation envelopes out in issues of the Daily Press.
While Norton said finding volunteer bell ringers during the pandemic was an additional challenge.
“Volunteers were nervous. They would hear announcements on news about the virus and didn’t want to go out,” he said.
Wicked Local
The success of the Salvation Army s Red Kettle Drive has been a given for years now. Organized annually by the Wellesley Kiwanis Club, the drive brought together community members of all ages to ring the bell outside Roche Bros. Customers would drop their coins, bills or checks into a red kettle, and volunteers would take the money to the bank to be counted and deposited.
The contributions were used to help those in need, but part of the joy of this annual event was the chance to chat with friends and neighbors donating their time, often while standing out in bitter cold temperatures. Whole families, Town Hall employees, Wellesley Key Club members, and even pets showed up for a shift or two.
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The Minocqua Salvation Army raised nearly $37,000, meeting its goal and staying on par with previous years.
Amanda Jahn, a Salvation Army service representative for the area, said one reason the Minocqua Salvation Army did so well is because of a $9,000 donation from Rondele Ranch.
“That’s what helped big time to meet that or they would have been behind as well,” she said.
Because of this donation, Jahn said the Minocqua Salvation Army is equipped to meet the needs of the community.
But other areas aren’t as lucky.
Rhinelander, for example, is about $10,000 short of its $50,000 goal.
That could be a problem in a year when many people are in need of extra support.