Tri-Cities Salvation Army sets record, still needs help

Residents of the Tri-Cities area recently set a record with their willingness to help their neighbors despite the down economy.

Local Salvation Army officials said a kettle collection on Dec. 17 raked in $32,500 in donations. That, paired up with a $10,000 matching contribution from Colonial Cafe & Ice Cream, blew away the previous single-day collection record of $8,000.

Major Jon Miller said the generous donations went a long way toward getting collection efforts to help local needy families back on track. The Tri-Cities Corps has a fundraising goal of $350,000 this year. The amount is based on the estimated budget needed for the Corps’ Christmas giving program and early charitable efforts to help families during the early portion of 2012. To date, the Corps has raised $218,810 toward that expected need.

“One thing that’s really impressed me about this community is that they step up and they help those in their community,” Miller said. “We’ve even seen in some of the general giving this particular season people who have given a couple of hundred bucks are giving $500 instead. That’s important because we are seeing increased need in our community. Some of the people who have normally been contributing to us are now recipients of our services.”