The Salvation Army launched its Red Kettle campaign in late November with a goal of collecting $150,000 through this year’s effort.
Salvation Army of Hamilton Major Persi Sanclemente told the Journal-News that fundraising efforts at the kettles have been hampered due to a shortage of bell ringers, which has limited the number of locations where they can appear at during the holidays.
“People are donating, but we have the possibility of 23 kettle stand locations and only 10 hired bell ringers,” she said.
The community has been very consistent in supporting the efforts of the Salvation Army, according to Sanclemente, and she remains hopeful that the organization’s fundraising goal can still be met.
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“Last year on our 15th day of kettles we had collected $56,072.72 and we had 16 more days for bell ringing,” she said. “This year on our 15th day we have raised $45,967.14 with 16 days to go.”
She said recruiting folks to man the red kettles has been a challenge.
Along with the many volunteer positions that are open, some people can even earn money as bell ringers.
“Bell ringers earn $65.20 per day and they raise an average of $271,” Sanclemente said. “Volunteers save us the $65.20 and have greater energy and results from their efforts.”
For example on a recent Saturday, one volunteer group raised $674 in one kettle, she said.
Sanclemente is hoping there will be members of the community that can find a short period of time during their holiday plans to rally the Salvation Army’s kettle drive.
“We need folks in Butler County who can give us five to seven hours of just one day to be volunteer bell ringers,” she said.
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Anyone interested in becoming a bell ringer for the Salvation Army can call 513-863-1445 or stop by the office located at 235 Ludlow St. in Hamilton.
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