The Salvation Army - Camden Kicks Off Annual Christmas Campaign to Support Kroc Center Programs

The Red Kettle Campaign officially launched on Friday, November 21, 2014 for The Salvation Army efforts in South Jersey. All monies raised during the annual fundraiser are used to support Christmas programs and services as well as serve people in need throughout the entire year.

“Many individuals and families from across the state struggle financially and spiritually to stay afloat, and we’ve seen it firsthand in the numbers of people coming to us for help,” said Donald E. Berry, Major, Divisional Commander, The Salvation Army New Jersey Division. “It’s especially hard during the holiday season, when so many of our neighbors don’t know how they’ll have the means to provide for their families. That’s why The Salvation Army looks to our community for their generosity—so we can show that same compassion and kindness to the less fortunate.”

In Camden, the need is great as well.

“All monies raised through the Red Kettles and the various events we host throughout the holiday season will be directly impacting those within the Camden community and those we serve throughout the region,” said Major Paul Cain, Kroc Center Administrator in Camden. “Your generous donations make all of the programming we offer at the Kroc possible, and it is especially important this time of year as we work to support all those in need.”

The Salvation Army encourages communities throughout the state to participate in this year’s Christmas efforts by making a donation at many standing Kettles statewide. Other ways to help include:

· Adopt-a-Family – Adopt-a-Family program matches impoverished families with individual or group sponsors to provide for their tangible needs at Christmas

· Fill The Truck – at select Wal-Mart’s, customers can drop off new, unwrapped toys in cardboard trucks or bins at stores, select weekends in November and December;

· Online Red Kettle – allows both individuals and groups to host their own Red Kettles – online

· Supporters can also text GIVENJ to 80888 to donate $10 to someone in need

This holiday season is expected to be one of the busiest yet. Salvation Army officials stress that any contribution will help; donations of time and service are just as important as monetary donations. Reaching out to those in need by volunteering to ring bells at kettle locations, or serve warm meals is a wonderful way to connect with the community, to give back, to share blessings, and to be blessed in return. To register to volunteer, visit SalvationArmyNJ.org/volunteer.

To learn more about The Salvation Army’s Christmas efforts, and to get involved, visit SalvationArmyNJ.org/Christmas.

About the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center:

After receiving a bequest of $1.6 billion from the estate of Mrs. Joan Kroc, The Salvation Army chose Camden as one of 26 locations to receive funds to build a Kroc Center in 2006. The Kroc Center is a 120,000-square-foot state-of-the-art center on a 24-acre campus, providing recreational, health, educational, cultural, family and spiritual programming to the Camden community. The facility includes a black box theater, water park, pool, commercial kitchen, youth and senior centers, chapel, field house, fitness center, food pantry, early childhood education center and much more. Outdoor amenities include a soccer/football field and two baseball/softball fields. Visit camdenkroccenter.org for more information.

About The Salvation Army:

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. More than 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter for the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 82 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in more than 5,000 communities nationwide.

About the Red Kettle Campaign:

From its humble beginnings as a fundraiser started by a Salvation Army Captain in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States. Thousands of Salvation Army bell-ringers fan out across the country to ring bells and solicit donations to the iconic Red Kettles from holiday shoppers.