Help Missoula Salvation Army Reach $65,000 Goal Despite Time Crunch

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - The calendar is working against the Missoula Salvation Army this year, as they will have exactly seven fewer days to raise the funds they need annually through the iconic Red Kettles this holiday season.

I spoke with Major Robert Covert with the Salvation Army on Monday about this year’s fundraising efforts.

The Salvation Army Has One Less Week to Raise Money with Their Red Kettles

“We started our official kettle season today,” began Major Covert. “The kettles are displayed throughout Missoula ready to enjoy the generosity of the city. However, because of the way the calendar worked out this year, we're actually losing a full week of our ability to stand kettles. So we're really hoping the community will get behind us and help us raise the necessary funds to keep our facility operational.”

Major Covert continued on the topic of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettles.

“Most people may not realize this, but with the Salvation Army, 83 cents out of every dollar that is donated to each Red Kettle stays local for programming, so that, in and of itself, is a huge boost, that we're able to keep that much of it here in Missoula for operations,” he said. “All that being said, our goal is $65,000, but having a week less puts a little bit of a crunch on getting the needed funds to continue throughout the remainder of the year.”

The Salvation Army Offers Free Meals at Their Russell Street Location

Major Covert said the Johnson Street Shelter is providing a place to sleep for Missoula’s houseless population, but the Salvation Army does offer free meals on a daily basis at the Russell Street location.

“At our facility here in Missoula, we have a hygiene center where individuals can come and take a shower if they need to, or do a load of laundry if they need to. We also have a cafe that is open Monday through Thursday, from nine o'clock until noon, and we serve Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, and we just recently added Crumble Cookies to our repertoire.”

Major Covert also promoted the youth programs offered through the Missoula Salvation Army.

Major Covert Promoted Some of Their Youth Programs

“We have a fantastic youth program where we do character-building programs and teach the kids things that they need to learn to survive,” he said. “A perfect example; we taught them just a little while ago how to do their laundry, how to separate the lights and the darks, and which one gets what temperature. The nice thing is that our character-building program is for ages 6 to 12, so these kids are learning life lessons they will be able to utilize as they go forward in their lives.”

Major Covert emphasized once again that the Salvation Army has one less week this calendar year to collect the $65,000 they will need to provide services to the community, so he and his volunteer bell ringers ask you to be extra generous this holiday season.

You can also donate online at www.missoularedkettle.org