Salvation Army Taking Applications For Thanksgiving Baskets, Angel Tree – Red Kettle Bell Ringers Needed

(BEDFORD) – Tis the season for giving.

The Salvation Army in Lawrence County is accepting applications for Thanksgiving baskets and Angle Tree Christmas presents for children.

Because of COVID-19 applications will be taken over the phone. You can call 812-583-1231. If no one answers, leave a message and a Salvation Army representative will return your call.

Angel Trees will be placed at Walmart on John Williams Boulevard, both Bedford Federal Saving Bank locations at 1030 15th St., and 2955 John Williams Blvd.

Anonymous Angels select a name off of a tree, purchase the items listed on the tag and bring them back to the drop-off location to be donated.

Giving to others in need. It’s an important one, especially this time of year.

You’re outside a mall or a bustling store and you spot a smiling bell-ringer standing not far from a bright red kettle, serving up well-wishes as most people drop a few dollars into the container. It’s a Salvation Army red kettle. This year marks the 129th red kettle campaign.

Salvation Army Red Kettles to collect monetary donations will be in place by Nov. 10 at Rural King and Walmart.

Bell ringers are needed call 812-583-1231 to select a time and location you would like to volunteer.

If you’ve ever found yourself passing a kettle only to realize you don’t have any cash on hand, you’re likely not alone.

This season, the Salvation Army has a solution – it’s called Kettle Pay, and it’s just about as easy as fishing around in your pocket for an extra $5 or $10.

Kettle Pay, or Kettles for the Future, is a program that puts a Near Field Communication tag, which contains a microchip, on every kettle in the United States, so that you can donate with your smartphone.

Donations done this way will come directly back to the local Salvation Army where the kettle is located.

Here is how it works:

  • You’ll then be taken to a custom donation form on your phone. It will suggest giving $5, $10 or $25, or you can type in a different amount.
  • From here, you can donate using Apple Pay or Google Pay if one or both of those are set up on your device. Otherwise, you can enter your credit or debit card.
  • People whose phones aren’t compatible with contactless payment systems can use their camera to photograph a QR code, opening a similar donation form.

The money raised through Kettle Pay will be distributed to local units based on a donor’s billing ZIP code. Previously, there was no method in place to track how much was raised at a single kettle, so this presents an opportunity to solve that problem. Plus, the donations stay local.

The Salvation Army says nearly 40 million Americans struggle with poverty.

With that in mind, the organization wants to challenge 1,000 individuals, groups, businesses, — to adopt a virtual kettle, with the goal of raising $500 this season.