As the Christmas season draws closer, Wrangell Salvation Army is once again preparing for their red kettle fundraiser. The Salvation Army's red kettles date back to the 19th century, according to the organization's website. In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee created the tradition, using a kettle to raise money for the poor in San Francisco. Today it is one of the group's most well-known fundraisers.
Last year, according to Lt. Jon Tollerud, the Wrangell Salvation Army raised just over $10,000 with their red kettles. This year they are aiming for a similar goal, he said, but things will be a little different this year.
"Due to COVID-19, one of the things we're doing is we've started an online red kettle, which is at wrangellredkettle.org, nice and simple," Tollerud said. "We've put our goal of $10,000 there in an effort to kind of keep things rolling smoothly with our food pantry and with all of the other assistance we provide."
Along with online donations, Tollerud said that they are putting together some mitigation efforts for in-person donations, as well. Red kettles and bell ringers will still be seen outside of Wrangell's grocery stores this season, but he said that the volunteers will be staying six feet away from the kettles. They are also asking people to use QR codes or NFC chips attached to the kettles to make donations, as cash can be a potential source of COVID-19 spread. Tollerud said that donations can be mailed to the Wrangell Salvation Army, as well.
"We have put an Apple Pay QR code and a Google Pay NFC chip on the signs so people can pay that way instead of pulling out cash," he said. "But people are still welcome to give in any way they can. We have some people locally who save up all their pennies throughout the year and then they donate them all."
Tollerud also announced that they are hosting a bit of a fundraising contest this year. He said that they are going to see which individual volunteer and which organization can be the top fundraisers this season. The winner will receive a "Golden Bell" trophy.
"We have a couple of churches, and a couple of banks, and a couple of local businesses that have volunteered to ring at some point during the year," Tollerud said. "Just so everyone's aware, last year we raised a little over $10,000, with Lance Hayes coming in with about $5,600 of it. So he might be the hardest one to beat but he's a kind person who we really appreciate everything he does."
Anybody wanting to volunteer as a bell ringer for the red kettles can call the Salvation Army at (907) 874-3753 or by reaching out to them on Facebook. They will be accepting applications up through Dec. 22, Tollerud said. Winners of the contest will be announced sometime in early January.
The Salvation Army's Angel Trees will soon be found around town, at Wells Fargo, First Bank, Ottesen's, and Sentry Hardware. The Angel Trees are a program to collect Christmas toys for children. Their goal is to collect toys for up to 200 children, at the trees themselves and online, according to a letter provided by Tollerud.
"Along with our Angel Tree program we are bringing in a new program called Adopt-a-Family," the letter reads. "This program allows an individual, family, or organization to 'Adopt' a family and provide for all their needs at Christmas. Food and Toys to help ensure a Merry Christmas."
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