PEORIA, Ill. – So close, yet, so far away.
That might be how the goal of this year’s Peoria Salvation Army Tree of Lights campaign could be described , as it has one more month left, ending at the end of January.
“Maybe I was naive, but here were are, the second holiday season working through COVID, and our numbers for volunteers able to stand in front of storefronts and ring bells were significantly down,” said Maj. Heath Sells, Tri-County Coordinator, Salvation Army.
Sells says the Red Kettle portion of the campaign was $47,000 short of its goal. But, the online Red Kettle campaign continues, and you can CLICK HERE to donate.
The Salvation Army’s annual Tree of Lights Campaign only hit 93 percent of its overall goal, raising almost $1.6 million.
“We’re a little ahead of where we were last year,” said Sells. “The cautionary note is we’re not working on last year’s budget. We’re responding to the needs for 2021 and 2022.”
Meanwhile, that doesn’t mean holiday-minded shows of great generosity haven’t happened.
You usually hear about gold coins being dropped in Red Kettles somewhere this time of year, but have you heard of one of these being dropped in one?
“We received a gold bar donated into that kettle, which we estimate to be valued at around $6,000,” said Sells.
Sells says the bar, received at the Schnuks on North University, was checked out and found to be legit. That’s after he spent some time being in disbelief.
In addition to donating to the Red Kettle online at the link above, you can donate the following ways:
- Send a check to The Salvation Army, 401 NE Adams Street, Peoria, IL 61603 and put TREE OF LIGHTS in the memo line.
- Call (309) 655-7220 to make a credit card donation by phone. Ask for Kathy Anderson.
