Salvation Army brings back Red Kettle Campaign

The Woodland Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, “Hope is Marching On,” will begin on Nov. 23 at Bel Air and Raley’s. Walmart Kettles will start on Black Friday. Red Kettles will be located at Bel Air, Raley’s, Cracchiolo’s and Walmart stores in Woodland throughout the season.

Volunteers will ring bells outside of Bel Air, Raley’s and Walmart Gibson from noon to 6 p.m. The bells at Walmart Main will be ringing from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cracchiolo’s bell will ring only on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Volunteers will be wearing masks and bells will be sanitized at the end of each shift.

Over the past several years the Salvation Army has modernized its systems to make it easier for people to donate to the Red Kettle Campaign as follows:

• “Kettle Pay” QR codes on the Red Kettle signs for phone scanning by credit card shoppers.

• “Walmart “Angel Tree” Online with a visual shopping list with instructions to purchase desired gifts for children of needy families. A real Angel tree for customers to pick gift coupons off of Walmart (These will be given out at Woodland’s Salvation Army Service Unit’s “Christmas Distribution“).

• “Woodland, Virtual or Davis, Red Kettle” Online donation to Red Kettle Campaign. It also gives potential volunteers the number to call to man a Kettle.

The organization notes that 83% of the donations received from the Red Kettle Campaign go toward local services. Donations not only provide qualified low-income recipients with food supplies twice monthly from the Salvation Army food closet but also provide emergency housing, gasoline and clothing, funding programs specifically benefiting children of low-income families.