Genesee County Salvation Army Falls Short of Red Kettle Campaign Goal

The Genesee County Salvation Army says cold temperatures and a shortened holiday season took their toll on their annual Red Kettle campaign. The nonprofit came up just over $54,000 short of its $847,000 goal.

According to Major Jon Augenstein, this is the first time he's seen the organization fall significantly short in his ten-year stint at The Salvation Army of Genesee County. Augenstein says "there were several things that played a role in us coming up short of our goal. The way Thanksgiving fell this year left us several days short of the number of days we had last year, as well as our extreme weather conditions."

The Salvation Army says the lack of donations will impact the services they can offer throughout the year. Augenstein said "one of our big services we offer in the area is the opportunity to help people with their rent and utilities so they can continue operating in their way of life. When we're short as much as we are, it will impact programs such as this."

Augenstein expressed thanks for "all of the organizations and volunteers who helped us raise what we did. It was a tough year, and we couldn't have raised what we did without their generous support." He also noted that donations are still being accepted for the Red Kettle campaign through the end of the month. Anyone who would like to contribute can dropp off or mail their contribution to The Salvation Army at 211 W. Kearsley St., Flint, Michigan 48502