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Salvation Army hopes high-tech kettle will boost holiday donations Date published: 11/25/2009
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE
Shoppers won't have to dig deep for spare change to help the Salvation Army this Christmas. One of the trademark red kettles in the Fredericksburg area now takes plastic. So those who don't carry cash can now share a swipe. The handheld credit/debit card machine debuted yesterday at red kettle at Spotsylvania Towne Centre to little fanfare. Some noticed the laminated sign reading, "Credit cards now being accepted here." They seemed surprised. But none swiped. "People are not being receptive to it," said volunteer bell ringer Fran Lephart. Capt. Michael Harris said he expects the new device to take a while to catch on. But once it does, he thinks the cashless kettle will bring in more money. "A number of people walk past the kettles and say, 'I'm sorry, I would give but I don't carry cash,'" Michael Harris said. "If they honestly feel that way, we should do pretty well." The machine costs about $50 to rent for the month, and Michael Harris expects to recoup the costs easily. The cashless kettles came on the scene last year in Texas and Colorado. In Texas, Salvation Army staff found that while typical kettles netted about $2 per donor, those equipped with credit card machines netted $14. And this year, the charity needs the money more than ever. In a single day last week, the agency received 368 phone calls for help. Last year, staff could go all week without receiving that many, Michael Harris said. "We're just seeing a lot more people coming through the doors," he said. "We're trying to ride out the storm." He hopes to get $200,000 from the network of red kettles this year. The annual Christmas fundraiser is the Salvation Army's most popular. With more than 6,100 people to help this holiday season, Harris said the kettles need to have their best year yet. He takes heart from knowing that last year's kettles raised the most money to date--$135,000. The money augments the agency's annual Angel Tree program and provides grocery-store gift cards to hungry area families. The red kettles have symbolized the holiday season since 1891, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee put out an iron kettle to buy Christmas dinner for poor people in San Francisco. The kettles have changed little in the intervening 118 years. But to keep up with demand, the agency needs to change with the times, Michael Harris said. The local agency now has a Facebook page, and the charity's thrift store on Lafayette Boulevard maintains a Twitter feed. The Angel Tree also went high-tech this year, and donors can go online to sponsor a needy area child through JCPenney's Web site. "It's all kind of making my head spin a little bit," Michael Harris said. "But I can't help but feel this is the wave of the future. I think this cashless system is just the beginning." Amy Flowers Umble: 540/735-1973
Date published: 11/25/2009
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