Duluth Salvation Army Receives Toys And Socks, Still In Need Of Red Kettle Donations

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Salvation Army was feeling the Christmas cheer on Monday.

Local organizations are giving to the non-profit. The Duluth Fire Department, along with the Duluth Firefighters Local 101 donating toys for people in need.

This is the 23rd year of fundraising. The first year they raised under $500. And this year they had just over $6,800 worth of toys.

“As firefighters we often see people having really bad days and in some real bad situations. I think that’s a testament to the amount of money that our members donate to try and make somebody’s day or somebody’s holiday just a little bit better,” said Pete Johnson, Assistant Chief for the Duluth Fire Department.

The Fond-du-Luth Casino was also at the Salvation Army for their 14th annual sock drive. This year they donated over 3,000 socks. They started this fundraiser because of the need.

“The thing that shocked us was the need for children’s socks. People would bring in these small packs of socks, especially infants cause it didn’t dawn on us until much later that kids are constantly losing their socks. So, this is something people need and are constantly in need of,” said Jerry Bacon, Marketing Manager for Fond-Du-Luth Casino.

Fond-du-Luth also has a “Make it a Point to Give” campaign where they give to different charities throughout the year. They raised $1,884.10 for the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is still in of donations for its Red Kettle Campaign. They need $94,000 to make their goal which ends on Saturday.