Covington Salvation Army makes final push to make red kettle goal

Covington, Virginia – Throughout the holiday season, one can hear the recognizable ring of the Salvation Army bell.

To garner a final boost of donations before the collection ends on Tuesday, volunteers in Covington are ringing everything from cow bells to jingle bells.

Major Gary Stweart of the Salvation Army stated, “We’re trying to reach out to as many as we can, as many communities as we can and say we need help.” “To serve the communities in which we all live, we need assistance.”

Majors Gary and Denise Stewart, officers with the Covington Salvation Army Corps, stated that the need for these supplies is greater than ever.

Due to their inability to put food on the table, the nonprofit is experiencing a 30% spike in the number of new clients.

“We need this revenue to maintain our annual budget so that we can continue to provide more assistance.” We want to say, ‘Here we will give you more.’ We don’t want to have to reduce programs or tell someone we can’t help them. “We would like to assist you further,” Major Stewart stated.

The Covington Salvation Army raised $47,000 throughout the course of the previous year’s holidays. The group is only at $28,000 of its $50,000 target this year.

According to Major Stewart, the main causes of their difficulties are growing costs and a shortage of workers to keep an eye on the kettles.

Patricia Cash-Noel, one of the volunteers, is encouraging everyone to come out and contribute to the red kettle.

“It feels fantastic. It benefits the Salvation Army, the church, and our time together at the church,” Cash-Noel added. “We get to work together, and it’s a good cause.”

The Covington Salvation Army’s Virtual Kettle accepts online donations here.

Major Stewart wants to thank all of the staff and volunteers who helped make donations possible as the holiday season draws to a conclusion.

“I would like to make contact with every one of our businesses or organizations that have supported a kettle that came out and donated to us. I’m grateful. We want to express our gratitude to everyone, not just those who donated; we also want to thank those who may not have anything to offer but nevertheless expressed their admiration for the work done by the Salvation Army.

We like the Salvation Army’s commitment to helping people,” he remarked.