Daytona Beach, FL – The local chapter of the Salvation Army sets a new donation record during their annual holiday kettle drive.
Around $242,000 were raised between Thanksgiving and Christmas this past holiday season, a 6% increase over the prior year and $2,000 above its target goal.
Salvation Army Daytona Beach Executive Director Stan Colbert says they manned around 40 retail locations from Edgewater to Palm Coast every day for 10 hours a day between the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. That doesn’t include Sundays.
“We started out just tremendous,” Colbert added. “But then we took kind of a dip and then it was a little on, a little off for the rest of the season.”
Most of the kettle locations were in front of major chain stores like Publix, Winn-Dixie, Walmart, Big Lots, Sam’s Club and Hobby Lobby.
The Daytona Beach chapter raised around $227,000 during the 2014 kettle drive, traditionally the largest fundraiser for the non-profit. That was $9,000 above the goal.
Colbert admitted that he was a little worried his chapter wouldn’t make the goal because many other Salvation Army chapters across the Southeast United States weren’t able to do so.
Another reason for his nerves was that he noticed a lot less foot traffic at the stores where the kettles were positioned.
The chapter hopes to have more kettles and volunteers to man them for the next holiday season.
All the money gathered stays in the community and goes towards Christmas toys and food for those in need.
Copyright 2016 Southern Stone Communications.