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High-profile donors and partners help set the stage for 2014
The 2013 Red Kettle Campaign collected almost $136 million thanks to the support of donors and corporate partners across the country. The money—raised between Nov. 28 and Dec. 24, 2013—will help The Salvation Army provide food, shelter and social services to those in need throughout the year, not just during Christmas.
“The Salvation Army is humbled by the support from millions of Americans who put money in our kettles every year,” said Major Ron Busroe, community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army’s National Headquarters. “The Red Kettle Campaign is a crucial fundraising period for us, and the support we received will help us continue to provide services to more than 30 million people each year.”
The Salvation Army enjoyed a jam-packed holiday season with events and initiatives new and old.
Multiplatinum recording artist Selena Gomez kicked off the Red Kettle Campaign with a live performance during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys-Oakland Raiders Thanksgiving Day game. This marked the 17th year that the Cowboys launched the iconic Red Kettle Campaign with The Salvation Army. The day before her performance, Selena “hung out” with eight of the top fundraisers for her Online Red Kettle team via Google Hangouts.
Rising pop star Austin Mahone headlined the fourth annual Rock the Red Kettle Concert, which also featured performances by Emblem3, Coco Jones and Bean, and a special appearance by Kelly Rowland. Three members of Austin Mahone’s Online Red Kettle team won the chance to fly to Los Angeles and meet Austin Mahone in person, and eight additional fans chatted with Austin virtually via Google Hangouts.
Hanes and The Salvation Army teamed up Dec. 2, 2013, to provide food and socks to those in need in New York City. This year Hanes donated 250,000 socks to charitable organizations including The Salvation Army, bringing the total of socks donated over the past five years to 2.7 million.
On #GivingTuesday, December 3, The Salvation Army made national media appearances on the TODAY show, Access Hollywood, Access Hollywood Live and Steve Harvey. It also kicked off the third annual World Record Bell Ringing Contest with six participants who followed a set of strict rules to see if they could break last year’s record of 80 consecutive hours of bell ringing. Major Butch Soriano, Captain Jim Brickson and Andre Thompson all reached the 105-hour mark before deciding to lay down the bells.
Online bell ringers continued to impact the campaign results by hosting a virtual kettle via onlineredkettle.org, This year, Online Red Kettle donations were up, totaling nearly $2.4 million compared to $2.1 million in 2012. Donations through salvationarmyusa.org totaled $21.6 million, with $3.2 million donated on the last day of 2013.
Red Kettles outside of Walmart and Sam’s Club locations across the U.S. collected $33.2 million and $4.1 million, respectively, which contributed 27 percent of the $135.9 million total. More than 2,100 Kroger stores hosted Red Kettles, raising a total of $13.2 million, or 9 percent of the $135.9 total. Roughly 700 JCPenney stores collected a total of $2.7 million for the campaign, and 690 Big Lots locations raised $1.3 million.
Thousands of Walmart stores hosted the second annual Fill the Truck event, collecting more than 136,000 toys and 6,600 coats for children. Walmart also generously donated $1 million to the Red Kettle Campaign.
On Jan. 2, The Salvation Army rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, signifying the end of the Red Kettle Campaign and the start to a new year of Doing the Most Good.
Every year, The Salvation Army helps nearly 30 million people, roughly one person per second. Donations help provide more than 10 million nights of shelter, roughly 58 million meals, and after-school and substance abuse programs. During the holiday season, nearly 4.2 million people rely on The Salvation Army to provide their families with warm meals on Christmas Day or toys for their children. Through The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, more than 1 million children receive necessities and toys.
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Read our “Behind the kettle” feature for more on the people and process that bring The Salvation Army’s most extensive fundraiser to life.
