Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As the holiday season approaches, the Salvation Army is reaching out to Butler County citizens for support, with hopes of rallying local volunteers to assist in its annual Red Kettle Campaign. Working with the Butler County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), the Salvation Army aims to generate community involvement that could eventually lead to a permanent presence in the area.

“I actually have a family member who works with the Salvation Army in Dothan and she contacted me,” said EMA Director Rosie Till. “They’re trying to get a little help during this Kettle season and I’m really excited because those funds will be utilized here in our county.”

Till and other organizers have already begun building partnerships to support the cause.

“We’ve gone to the Lions Club and the ministerial club and we’ve gotten a great response, so we’re starting now to really get boots on the ground,” Till said. “Ideally, my hope would be that if we got a big enough response, we could work toward eventually getting a storefront here. That way, people in need can go directly there.”

The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, an annual effort launched in 1891, was first organized by Captain Joseph McFee in San Francisco to provide meals for the city’s poor. Inspired by an iron kettle he had seen in Liverpool, England, McFee placed a pot in a public space, encouraging people to donate. Today, the campaign assists millions across the U.S. with food, shelter and emergency services.

Jason Johns, manager of the Salvation Army’s Dale County service center, echoed Till’s hopes of increased local involvement in Butler County.

“Right now, Butler County is covered under our location in Ozark but I would love to have a location actually in Greenville,” Johns said. “The money is allocated by county, so if it’s raised in Butler County, it stays in Butler County.”

Funds raised by the Red Kettle Campaign not only help during the holiday season but support year-round needs like food banks, utility assistance and emergency relief. The Salvation Army works to be community-supported and self-sufficient, a goal that Johns sees as possible with greater involvement from Greenville residents.

“Greenville has been so supportive and I’m hoping that if we have a really successful kettle season, it will show that this area can support its own storefront,” Johns said.

To volunteer as a bell ringer in Butler County, residents can contact Jason Johns at (334) 445-3070 to be connected with a local representative.