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Released 29 November 2012
Media Contacts:
Bob Brady, The Salvation
Army
Phone: 202-289-4001
bbrady@xenophonstrategies.com
Faithe Colas, The
Salvation Army Milwaukee County
Phone: 414-531-6363
faithe_colas@usc.salvationarmy.org
Tara Raddohl,
Walmart
Phone: 1-800-331-0085
news.walmart.com/reporter
Walmart & The
Salvation Army Partner For 122nd Annual Red Kettle Campaign
Red Kettle
Donations and “Fill the Truck” Toy Drives to Help Provide a
Cheerful Christmas to Children Nationwide
Alexandria, VA (November 28, 2012) – Walmart and The
Salvation Army announced today that they are partnering this holiday season for
the 122nd Annual Red Kettle Campaign. Walmart and Sam’s Club stores
across the country will host The Salvation Army’s iconic red kettles and
bell ringers again this holiday season between Friday, November 23rd and
Monday, December 24th. Last year, Walmart and Sam’s Club helped The
Salvation Army raise more than $46 million—nearly one-third of all money
raised. All donations made to the red kettles will remain in the local
communities in which they were collected, and help The Salvation Army provide
food, clothing, shelter, financial assistance and other services to 30 million
people a year. In addition, on Saturday, December 8, more than 2,500 Walmart
stores will participate in “Fill the Truck” toy drives to help
provide new toys and coats to children in need on Christmas.
“As we gather with friends and family to celebrate the holidays this
year, it’s important for us to remember our neighbors in need,”
said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Walmart Foundation. “By
working with The Salvation Army and our generous shoppers, we hope to be able
to provide families nationwide with basic need items like food, clothing and
shelter, as well as bring more smiles to thousands of children on Christmas
day.”
“Fill the Truck” events will begin at 9:00
a.m. and run until 5:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, December 8 at select
Walmart stores. The events are open to the general public who would like to
donate new toys and coats to children who take part in Salvation Army programs
year round. Upon arrival, shoppers will receive a list of suggested gifts to
add to the truck or collection bin at the stores. Once the donation receptacles
are full, The Salvation Army will bring the donations to their local units and
distribute the gifts throughout the Christmas season as part of their support
to local families in need. Collections are expected to provide gifts to more
than 10,000 children nationwide.
This year, the Walmart Foundation
also made a $1 million donation to The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle
Campaign. The donation will be split among the four Salvation Army Territories
and support feeding programs, including meal programs for youths. Last year,
The Salvation Army served nearly 58 million meals to children and adults in
need.
Notably, 81 percent of Salvation Army programs saw an increase
in need among families with children due to the recession in 2011, according to
“Growing Up in a Downturn,”a Salvation Army report from earlier
this year. The report also found that 56 percent of Salvation Army youth
programs were operating at or beyond capacity, which includes feeding,
education, athletic, artistic and religious programs. As a result of the
recession’s lingering impact, The Salvation Army expects the need to
continue this Christmas season.
“For the past several years,
there has been a growing need in America, and social service organizations like
The Salvation Army have seen this demand first hand,” said Major George
Hood, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation
Army. “The ‘Fill the Truck’ event with Walmart will help The
Salvation Army meet that need this Christmas, and provide something special to
children in need.”
From its humble origin as a fundraiser
started by a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle
Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable
campaigns in the United States. As part of the campaign, more than 25,000
Salvation Army workers and volunteers spread throughout the country to ring
bells daily and solicit spare change donations to the iconic red kettles from
holiday shoppers. In 2011, the campaign raised more than $147.6 million
nationwide, a new record supported by the public’s nickels, dimes,
quarters, dollars, credit cards (and the occasional diamond ring or gold tooth)
all collected and used to help people in the communities where they were
raised. Last year, the funds helped The Salvation Army provide food, clothing,
toys and other assistance to 30 million Americans in need.
For more
information on The Salvation Army and the Red Kettle Kickoff, please visit http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org, www.facebook.com/salvationarmyusa or www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus.
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About Philanthropy at
Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to
support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In
May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion
through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports
education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and
wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org.
About The
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the
universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in
need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United
States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army
each year through the broadest array of social services that range from
providing 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. 82 cents of every dollar spent
is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more
information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.