MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s a traditional sight and sound of the season in Memphis: Bell ringers standing in front of stores are armed with red kettles as shoppers such as Bill Becker drop off coins and dollar bills for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign.
“I’m here to make my donation. I’m one of the old-fashioned people who likes to put money into the kettle,” Becker said.
For decades, shoppers have placed their donations into the kettles for what’s become the Salvation Army’s biggest fundraiser throughout the year, but today the kettles are not filling up as quickly because of some high-tech challenges.
“First it was the debit cards, of course that hurt us in a sense, and credit cards. People carrying less and less cash, now they’re not coming by the stores as much as they used to,” said Capt. Zach Bell, the Memphis Salvation Army area commander.
Fewer people are dropping by brick-and-mortar stores, and that means less money is going into the kettles. Instead, many people are opting to shop online.
Even though David Waites donates the traditional way, he understands why people shop online.
“You got a lot of people online shopping. A lot of it is convenience,” Waites said. “It’s easier to sit at home on the computer than fighting the crowd.”
According to Adobe, which tracks online sales, retailers saw $11 billion dollars in online sales from Thanksgiving day through Cyber Monday this year, a 15 percent increase from last year. That hike in online shopping could once again affect Salvation Army programs that help needy Memphians.
“Of course the challenge is always great in raising a lot of resources for a lot of need, and here in Memphis we see a lot of need daily that comes to us,” Bell said.
To make sure that need is met, the Salvation Army is catching up with the times by allowing you to use your computer, smart phone or tablet to visit its website and donate to its online kettles.
“Make sure you to our website salvationarmymemphis.org and get to our online Red Kettle, and you’re able to donate in the comfort of your own home,” Bell said.
Whether you donate to kettles online or in front of stores, your Salvation Army donations are far more than money; they’re giving meals to a hungry child, warm beds to a homeless family and hope to those who need it most.
Shoppers such as Jimmy Russell said their donation is personal and that the work of the Salvation Army touches their hearts.
“It’s just in my heart,” Russell said. “I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure nine years ago, and the Lord has been blessing me ever since, and if I can pass it on I do it every year.”
