Salvation Army starts Christmas campaign early for first time in 130 years

WASILLA — The Alaskan Salvation Army and districts across the nation are currently collecting donations for their annual holiday fundraiser, the biggest drive of the year that supports overall operations for the coming year.

The mission has remained the same, but the circumstances called for a historically early start, something that hasn’t been done in 130 years, according to a recent press release.

While the bell ringers haven’t started making their rounds at local stores in front of the iconic Red Kettles, the campaign is officially underway thanks to the Salvation Army’s online collection platform.

Alaska Salvation Army communications manager Lessa Peter said people can support their respective communities by donating to their local corps offices. She said they’re making a big push with these Digital Kettles to make up for the massive increase in demand for their various services due to COVID-19.

The Red Kettle campaign usually starts after Thanksgiving. The Salvation Army is expecting up to a 50 percent decrease in overall donations this season, prompting them to ramp up their efforts while working around the strains of the pandemic.

“It could be higher than that. It’s really hard to say,” Peter said.

The situation has already brought the Salvation Army to an all time high in overall demand for services. Peter said that food assistance is one of the top demands directly stemmed from COVID-19.

The Alaska Salvation Army has provided over 125,000 meals, 13,000 nights of safe shelter, and emotional and spiritual support to over 9,500 people in need since March, according to the press release.

The Salvation Army is expecting the possibility of serving up to 155 percent more people over the holidays, due to the existing demand in response to the pandemic.

“COVID 19 has had a significant impact on Alaskans this year with many still struggling from unemployment,” said Major John Brackenbury, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army in Alaska, “After seeing the increased need throughout this summer, your support is crucial to the Salvation Army’s effort this year to rescue Christmas for those in the most need.“

Christmas assistance includes general food and holiday meal assistance, paying bills, providing shelter and helping place gifts under the tree.

“We definitely want to spread the word about our early fundraiser, making sure everybody has their needs met this Christmas,” Peter said.

Peter said they still plan to have volunteers ring bells in the community, but they’re still working out how that will look and when they can start. They normally set up at local stores like Walmart and Fred Meyer.

“It’s really gonna depend on those big stores and what their national contracts look like,” Peter said.

The Salvation Army’s annual Angel Tree program is still going forward with the possibility of moving to a virtual gift donation platform.

Each year businesses set up Christmas trees with wish list items from local children that customers can fulfill if they pick a tag. Peter said the Angel Tree program starts in November, and could begin earlier in some communities, depending on their local needs.

For more information on how to donate or to register as a volunteer with the Salvation Army, visit alaska.salvationarmy.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com