For the second straight year, the Salvation Army’s local
kettle campaign beat expectations. The news this year might be whose expectations they beat.
Local Captains Ronnie and Debbie Davis said contributions – most of which were deposited through the metal slot in the top of this perennial red kettle – totaled $3,611. That topped the local goal of $2,500 by more than a grand, but Wrangell also defied state and national trends, Ronnie Davis said.
“In the division, which is the state of Alaska, we’re down by nine percent, but our kettles were up 22, 23 percent over last year’s totals,” he said.
Ronnie Davis estimated last year’s contributions at $2,800.
The money is only one show of Wrangell’s overall generosity, Ronnie Davis said.
“Generous people,” he said, when asked why contributions were so high. “We’ve been here for three years. This is our fourth year. People are finally starting to accept us, and they just showed their generosity this year.”
As the Salvation Army
mission’s presence in the community has aged, favorable
perceptions of the group have improved, Debbie Davis said.
“I think it’s a good indicator of how the community is starting to feel about the Salvation Army,” she said. “Each year they are more and more supportive of what our mission is.”
In addition to the familiar clunk of change in the bottom of the kettle, local do-gooders can also contribute via the Army’s web site, http://www.onlineredkettle.org — which contains a section to focus contributions to the local Wrangell kettle — or via cell phone by scanning the IR code located at the top of any local kettle.
The Davises collected only one online contribution this year.
In addition to the success of the kettle campaign, the Army also handed out food and toys to local families.
The Army distributed 72 out of 73 turkeys this year, helping 231 local people, and 79
children, according to figures Davis provided. Volunteers
distributed almost 250 toys alongside holiday meals for local children in need.
Planning for the annual meal campaign typically starts with a list of names, Ronnie Davis said.
“We go off of last year’s list of people,” he said.
Debbie Davis and some other volunteers then sits down and contacts every name on the list. Some names are subtracted and others are added.
“Off of that we decide how much food we need to purchase or get donated or however it comes out,” Ronnie Davis said.
Army officials place orders for turkeys in July, and the rest of the food in December, and solicit donations from the Wrangell Ministerial Association and other local entities to assist with the holiday cheer.
Individual contributions to next year’s Christmas meal and toy distribution can be made through the Army account at either City Market or Bobs’ IGA grocery stores.
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