The jingle of the bell and the sight of the red kettle have disappeared since the Christmas season, and the money collected in the campaign is quickly diminishing.
The financial crises the Salvation Army responds to remain constant year-round, and the kettle donations are falling short of meeting the growing need for emergency assistance.
Robert Reinhart, who coordinates the Salvation Army campaign for Oconto, estimated the county will deplete its kettle funds by the middle of 2014.
Skyrocketing heating costs are the latest emergency draining funds from the coffers, according to Jill Lemkuil, who coordinates the kettle campaign for 10 northern Wisconsin counties, including 50 cities.
“My phone is ringing off the hook, from all my counties and all the cities,” she said.
High demand for propane gas due to a colder-than-normal winter, depleted supplies and pipeline problems have caused prices to rise across the country. Lemkuil said she has heard from families who abandoned their homes and moved in with relatives because they can’t find a supplier or can’t afford propane, which has jumped to $7 a gallon in northern counties.
She is encouraging people to apply for government programs that provide energy assistance, and, in some instances, the Salvation Army is issuing vouchers to help cover payments.
Families can receive up to $300 per 12-month period from the Salvation Army if they demonstrate financial need. Before vouchers are issued, applicants are interviewed to assess their situation. Income and expenses are evaluated, along with the applicants’ needs for help with budgeting or other services that might improve their long-term financial stability.
“We look at the whole picture of the finances of the client in trying to be a good steward of the money,” Lemkuil said.
Reinhart said $15,900 was collected countywide in 2013, down from $16,750 in 2012. Of this total, about $6,000 was dropped into the kettles in the three Oconto locations.
“The people are very generous in Oconto,” Reinhart said.
Another $5,100 was slipped into a kettle at the Lakewood Super Valu, according to store owner Erin Seeber.
“For us, it was very slow,” she said. Totals were down about $300 from 2012.
According to Linda Witt, coordinator of the campaign in Oconto Falls, about $3,500 was collected in the kettles at Witt’s Piggly Wiggly and other locations around the city.
“It’s within $100 of last year,” she said. “I’m really pleased with it.”
The communities had a nice response from volunteers, although additional bell ringers would have brought in extra cash.
“The more the merrier,” Witt said. “People give more when there is someone standing there.”
All money collected in the county is returned to county residents in need. Proceeds from the kettles are not used for administrative expenses, Lemkuil said.
“I like the kettles, personally, because people can put change in them and make a difference,” she said. “It involves everyone from every walk of life.”
The Christmas campaign is so familiar everyone recognizes the bright red kettles and volunteers with the bells, yet donations to the Salvation Army are welcome any time of year. Donors can send checks to the Salvation Army office in Wauwatosa, writing “Oconto County” on the memo line to keep the funds local.
Lemkuil said county residents can also assist the Salvation Army by joining its Oconto County board, which meets four times a year. Board members learn about the Salvation Army’s programs and review its budget and the dispersal of charity funds.
The board will meet at 10:30 a.m. April 24 at Stephenson National Bank, 101 Bralick Way, Oconto.
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