Salvation Army Hoping and Praying For Deadline Giving
The agency is thankful for generous giving so far, but is tens of thousands of dollars behind in its fundraising goal, with program cuts a possibility.
DULUTH, Minn. — If you’re making a push to the Christmas finish line, you are not alone. For some it means serious shopping down the stretch. For others it means serious giving.
The kettles were ready for every sixpence they could get Thursday. To reach its funding goal, the Salvation Army needs $22,000 a day through Saturday.
It is a number that as of late Thursday, was not realistic according to the Army’s staff. However, it’s not over until it’s over.
The Kettle Queen made her last appearance, and it was at Cub Foods. As one of the final duties of her reign, she crowned yet another gracious and generous giver. She said all the gifts go toward their general fund, and the programs they provide throughout the year.
“Essentially we do food, shelter and care for people in need. Food’s a huge thing obviously right now,” said Cyndi Lewis, Salvation Army Director of Development. “Shelter, we have a lot of housing programs as well, and a new one coming out for homeless, like chronically homeless. And care as well. We have youth programs, and we have this Pathway of Hope, which is sort of new, which is great. It’s for families that aren’t as in crisis,” she said. “It’s kind of to help them make that transition out of the cycle of poverty. I like to call it like ‘Life Coaching,’ that sort of a thing. Because most of our services are emergency services. ‘We need somewhere to live. We need something to eat.’ And that program is to help people through, and then to come out on the other side, which is fantastic,” said Lewis.
The message of the need for more funds can sometimes get lost in a world with so many needs. But the Salvation Army says if the funds don’t come in, they will probably be looking at some programming cuts after the first quarter of 2024. At the same time, the Salvation Army wants to thank everyone in the community for all the giving they have already done.
