Salvation Army Red Kettle income down in San Joaquin

STOCKTON — The Salvation Army units in San Joaquin County (Lodi, Stockton and Tracy) are reporting that the Red Kettle campaign donations are down by nearly 30 percent compared to funds raised last Christmas season.

“This is a bit of surprise to see that our kettle income is down by this much,” said Major Mark Thielenhaus, Salvation Army Lodi Corps officer. “We hope to see a turnaround during the last two weeks of Christmas shopping.”

Kettle gifts stay locally to provide Christmas assistance, food assistance, youth programs and many other year-round programs. This holiday season, the Lodi Corps will assist approximately 670 families with food boxes and toys, while the Stockton and Tracy units will also help another 513 families.

“For many Salvation Army locations, especially in smaller communities, we really rely on our kettle income to support the programs that we have,” said Lt. Doug Hanson, Salvation Army Stockton Corps officer, who also oversees the services in Tracy. “We can definitely stretch that dollar to run our services, but if our communities could rally down the stretch, it would make it a lot easier on our operations.”

The Red Kettle campaign will continue through Dec. 24 at various storefronts throughout the San Joaquin area. For more information or to make a donation to support The Salvation Army, you can contact Major Mark Thielenhaus of the Lodi Corps at 525 W. Lockeford St, Lodi 95240 or call 209-369-5896

For information about making a charitable gift online or finding other ways to give, go to www.gosalarmy.org.