Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign goes high tech

Nov 14, 2019 Jim Franco News

The iconic Salvation Red Kettle Campaign is going high tech.

Since more shoppers carry less cash, the bell ringers will now offer “Kettle Pay” at their red buckets located outside many area retail establishments through the holiday season.

Kettle Pay includes smart chips or QR codes on Red Kettle signs across the state, allowing donors to “bump” or scan their phones to make a donation digitally.

“For nearly 155 years, The Salvation Army has employed creative, forward thinking to find solutions,” said Maj. Ivan rock, commander of the Salvation Army’s Empire State Division. “More consumers are using their phones to pay for everyday items and Kettle Pay makes it even easier for donors to join The Salvation Army’s Fight for Good.”

Donors who swipe their phones will be directed to a custom donation page that accepts Apple or Google payment options. The funds will then be distributed to local Salvation Army units based on the donor’s billing ZIP code, and an email receipt will be sent directly to their phone.

Donors with an Apple iPhone Xs, Xr, and Xs Max or Android phones made since 2012 can just bump their phones on the sign. Donors with older phones can scan the QR codes.

Now in its 129th year, The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign is one of the oldest and largest charitable campaigns in the world. Every year, the campaign raises millions of dollars to provide toys for kids at Christmas, clothes and shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, after-school programs for kids, and other services to America’s most vulnerable populations year-round.

The Empire State Division of The Salvation Army covers 48 counties in upstate New York and one city in Pennsylvania.  The annual Red Kettle Campaign in November and December helps our 45 community centers and 166 volunteer driven service units.

The Salvation Army was established in London in 1865, and has supported those in need for more than 135 years in the U.S. More than 25 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services: food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. It has also served survivors of every major national disaster since 1900.

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Jim Franco