The start of the Kettle Bell Campaign
is only a few weeks away and The Salvation Army already has plans to eliminate
wages, making the campaign volunteer based and therefore saving money for
resources within the organization.
According to Andrea Glinski, Red
Kettle and Volunteer Coordinator, the Salvation Army usually employs up to
90 bell ringers and truck drivers throughout the campaign, 15 percent of them
from the West Side.
This year, with a new kettle
coordinator, changes are in effect and the campaign is only employing about
half as many people, in hopes that more volunteers will come forward throughout
the holidays.
"We propose that within the next
3-4 years, the kettle campaign will be 100 percent volunteer based. This will
save the organization $130,000 each year," said Glinski.
The extra money saved will be put
back in the organization to increase its resources amongst the three locations,
Grant Street being one of them.
"The hope is that more money
within the organization will go towards the food pantry, english speaking and
garment making classes and other resources provided at The Salvation
Army," said Glinski.
The organizations website, buffalosalvationarmy.org, also lists the objectives and
additional resources provided by The Salvation Army to the surrounding
communities and how areas like the West Side can evolve from its services.
"Although this employment cut
may seem like a big change to some, the benefits from saving the additional money
will truly help the organization provide its community members with the
resources and services that may be hard to obtain on their own," said
Glinski. By Chanice Johnson and Jennine Taberski
