COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — The Salvation Army Kroc Center said it hopes more people will donate to their red kettle drive this year so it can continue funding important community services.
The Kroc community center near Ramsey Park in Coeur d’Alene is in the midst of collecting donations as part of the Salvation Army’s iconic red kettle drive.
The center said, so far this season, donations are down 50% compared to this time last year. So far, they have raised about $25,000. The Kroc Center hopes to raise $220,000 over the holidays to keep providing critical resources to the community.
Red kettle donations at the Kroc Center fund resources like affordable mental health services, food and clothing programs and a swimming program for local third graders.
“When they drop donations into the kettle, it is going to these programs. It does not run the Kroc Center. It does not pay our salaries. It goes 100% to helping people in the community,” said Executive Director of the Kroc Center, Major Don Gilger.
Without the programs, Gilger said, the community would lose essential support.
“We’ve already seen the impact of the third grade swim on children. When they go out on boats, when they go out on a lake, when they’re putting life vests on, we know if they fall off a boat or a dock, they’ll have life-saving skills,” he said.
You can donate in-person to the red kettles at the Kroc Center or other local stores around Coeur d’Alene, or you can donate online at www.kroccda.org.
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