Combination of Inflation and Increased Needs Affecting Red Kettle Campaign in Hawaii
Written by David Sayre
The Salvation Army’s iconic Christmas Red Kettle Campaign, now in its 131st year, is struggling to meet its fundraising goal in Hawaii for the 2022 Christmas season. With just five bell-ringing days left before Christmas, donations to The Salvation Army’s Red Kettles in Hawaii are currently tracking at 67 percent of a $750,000 goal. It’s important to remember that donations to Red Kettles stay in the local communities where they are donated. Bell ringers will be staffing the Red Kettles through Christmas Eve.
The Salvation Army, facing a spike in demand for services because of the combination of rising costs and lingering pandemic-related poverty, increased their campaign goal for Red Kettles by approximately $100,000 over the $650,000 raised in the 2021 holiday season. In addition, meeting increased needs becomes more of a challenge every year at Red Kettles due to consumers carrying less cash, the closure of many brick-and-mortar retail stores where the Army would traditionally stand kettles, more online shopping - which means less foot traffic in shopping areas, and particularly for 2022, the effect of inflation.
“Although I’m concerned that early donations have been a bit slow, I remain hopeful we can still make our fundraising goal this year,” said Major Phil Lum, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands. “Hawaii has a history of supporting The Salvation Army’s efforts to help our most vulnerable neighbors every year. Even as we face increased needs, I believe our community will rally around us again this year. We’d also like to extend our Aloha to everyone for their generosity and kindness during the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”
The Salvation Army has made it easier and safer than ever to support its work at kettles or online. People can donate in several contactless ways, including:
- Virtual Red Kettles - Support their local community’s Virtual Red Kettle at RedKettleHawaii.org
- Online Donations - Make a donation online at Hawaii.SalvationArmy.org to help The Salvation Army Love Beyond Christmas.
- Kettle Pay – it’s easy to give through Kettle Pay at Red Kettles around Hawaii using Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal or Venmo.
- Amazon Alexa - Use Amazon Alexa by saying, “Alexa, donate to The Salvation Army,” then specifying the amount.
- US Mail - Send a check to a local Salvation Army corps. Visit Hawaii.SalvationArmy.org for a list of corps in the islands.
This year, donors in Hawaii have additional ways to support The Salvation Army including:
- Share a Holiday Feast - Through Dec. 31, customers at all Foodland and Sack N Save stores in Hawaii will be able to make donations at checkout through Foodland’s “Share a Holiday Feast” program to help those less fortunate in Hawaii. Customers may donate cash, change or use Maika‘i points to help. Those donations will be turned into Foodland gift certificates and distributed by The Salvation Army to families in need on each island where the donations were received.
- Burger King Hawaii - In partnership with Aloha United Way, customers may make cash donations at all Burger King Hawaii restaurants through Dec. 31. The donations will go towards keiki Angel Tree gifts and provide support for those in need throughout the year.
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About The Salvation Army – Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division
The Salvation Army – Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division covers the state of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands including Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands and The Federated States of Micronesia. In 2021, The Salvation Army was ranked #2 on the list of “America’s Favorite Charities” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The Division offers a wide variety of programs throughout the islands including: affordable senior housing; at-risk youth services and housing; camp & conference center; church/religious services and programs; emergency disaster services; family stores; food distribution and feeding programs; homeless services; The Kroc Center – Hawaii’s largest community center; preschools & day care services; older adults; social services – emergency assistance; substance abuse treatment; women’s auxiliary; and women’s ministries. For more information, call 808-988-2136, visit hawaii.salvationarmy.org, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.