Kettle Campaign deserves support

Flurries are in the air, decorations are up and sooner than later the Salvation Army’s red kettles will be out. Those kettles and bell ringers are a cause we encourage people to support.

The first Salvation Army Kettle Campaign was started in 1891 in San Francisco as a way to provide a Christmas meal for 1,000 people in need. Six years later the idea spread to the East Coast and the combined effort fed 150,000 people. The kettles never stopped gaining momentum as today 4.5 million people benefit from the Salvation Army during the holidays every year.

Locally, a dollar here and a dollar there go a long way to helping the Jamestown Salvation Army. That’s not just during the holidays but all year.

The Kettle Campaign is the Jamestown Salvation Army’s biggest single charity drive of the year and all of the funds raised will stay in Jamestown and benefit a number of residents.

Those who need food benefit from the food pantry. Those who need clothes can find a bargain at the Thrift Store. Those who need heat and water don’t need to choose between them because the funds raised though the Kettle Campaign allow for vouchers so they can have both.

It’s important to support the Salvation Army during the holidays because all of the help it provides for Jamestown.

Sometimes the help it provides is not just for those in need; it is for those who go the extra mile and provide help for the community in its time of need.

Think back to the sandbagging efforts of spring 2009. The Salvation Army was there to help those who filled and placed sandbag after sandbag.

But there’s more to it than the Kettle Campaign. Other Salvation Army fundraisers during the holiday season go a long way as well.

Next time you see a kettle or hear a bell or find another opportunity to help the Salvation Army, we encourage you do your part.

A dollar here and a dollar there do indeed add up to much more for Jamestown.

(Editorials are the opinion of Jamestown Sun management and the newspaper’s editorial board)

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