Donations, Volunteers Decline For Salvation Army

The Salvation Army went into their holiday fundraising campaign with an optimistic goal of 500 thousand dollars from the Louisville area. That would be an 18 thousand-dollar increase over last year.But that optimism hasn’t matched up with reality this holiday season.Donations are down this year for the Salvation Army. And the major issue isn’t so much a lack of generosity from the donors who pass by the Salvation Army’s red kettles and bell ringers. A bigger problem is a lack of bell ringers. The Salvation Army organizes volunteers into shifts at each of the 55-kettle locations in the Louisville area. According to Salvation Army Major Keath Biggers, more than a few shifts have gone unfilled:“I would say three to four hundred shifts less than last year being covered, which a shift being a three-hour period during the day," he says.The holiday season is when the Salvation Army raises most of the money that it uses to operate throughout the year. That money goes to pay for food and shelter for the homeless among other programs.The Salvation Army is still accepting volunteers through its website.