MILWAUKEE — Their mission runs deep in Milwaukee, with the first Red Kettles appearing in 1893. And The Salvation Army is still here, raising money to help serve the community.
"The biggest part of our fundraising season is during Christmas when we're so highly visible," said Dr. Beverly Peterson, Executive Director of Development of The Salvation Army, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Division.
Peterson was @TheTable to talk about the Red Kettle campaign on Giving Tuesday.
The Salvation Army's faithful commitment to Milwaukee has lasted more than a century. This year they are hoping to raise $4 million with the Red Kettle campaign. You can donate by going to the Salvation Army Wisconsin website.
"The goal is to be able to use that to feed people, to help with homelessness, to provide emergency assistance, emergency disaster. If there's a fire you know, we're out there giving out gift cards to help families, said Peterson. It helps with providing stable homes, it helps with providing coats and toys at Christmas, that's what we do year-round. We're not just at Christmas time, but it's when you see us the most."
Red Kettle donations fell short last season, raising $3.9 million with a goal of $4 million. The Salvation Army says 87 cents of every dollar raised support programs in Milwaukee County.
"We want to meet the needs of the community in any way possible that we can so it's very vital that we have the support of the community," said Peterson. "We have supportive people that are able to do philanthropic work, but also being able to volunteer as well."
The Salvation Army is always looking for volunteers to help with the Red Kettle campaign, the fundraising effort runs through December 23rd.
Watch the full conversation in the video at the top of this article.
Charles Benson and Shannon Sims interview key people in our community during TMJ4's @TheTable segment on weeknights at 10 p.m.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
