Jacksonville, Illinois, Salvation Army launches $150,000 Red Kettle Campaign

The Salvation Army in Jacksonville has launched its annual Red Kettle Campaign, its largest fundraiser of the year. Justian Corliss, captain of The Salvation Army in Jacksonville, said the campaign generates about 70% of the organization’s annual income over three months and supports its year-round programs and services. This year’s goal is $150,000, including about $50,000 from red kettles across the city.

Kettles will collect from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 through Dec. 23, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 24. Kettles have started appearing at five Jacksonville locations from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with two additional kettles downtown on weekends. Bell-ringers will be at most locations. People and clubs have volunteered, though volunteers are still being accepted. Those who wish to volunteer may sign up online at Salarmy.us/ringinjax, which the article notes is a different site than in previous years. Donations can be made online at donate.stlsalvationarmy.org by locating campaign 850874, or by scanning the QR code included in the article.

Corliss said the organization has seen an uptick in residents seeking help over the past year. Demand at its food pantry has risen 20% to 25%, and the pantry serves about 200 families a week by providing shelf-stable items to those at risk of food insecurity. Funds from the campaign also support worship and ministry services, youth and adult programs, daytime shelter and outreach for homeless individuals, and an Angel Tree program that provides holiday gifts to children.

The campaign also funds an unmet-needs assistance program, for which requests have risen significantly, to help people with unexpected expenses such as a broken vehicle or refrigerator. Corliss said many of those served are people who have been fully independent until recently. “All of a sudden, their financial ability to meet the other needs is at risk,” he said. “A lot of Americans are one or two paychecks away from disaster, so we are trying to get to that and intervene. We want to prevent that from happening.”

The Red Shield kids program, which the campaign also sustains, ensures that children who rely on free or reduced-price school meals have food on weekends. Corliss said that after initially aiming to provide 20,000 meals through the hunger relief effort, The Salvation Army doubled that number. Caring for children who cannot easily secure food on their own reflects the call to protect the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Among the volunteers helping with the campaign is the Jacksonville FFA chapter, which is in its fifth year of ringing bells for The Salvation Army. Mark Dyer, the chapter’s adviser, said the participation aligns with the agricultural youth organization’s mission. “The FFA motto is ‘Living to Serve,’ so we give back to the community,” Dyer said. Students in the chapter are required to complete community service hours to qualify for overnight trips or to earn their state degrees.

Dyer said the value of the students’ participation goes beyond meeting that requirement. “This is outside of the classroom, but we’re teaching them more life skills,” he said. “It’s not just about them and how they can give back and make themselves and the community better.”

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