Bingham County kicks off its Red Kettle campaign following a successful previous year

BLACKFOOT – The bells were rung for the first time this season, marking the start of the holiday’s most recognizable charitable campaigns.

Blackfoot Mayor Marc Carroll and Traci Hebdon, SEICAA data analyst, made the first two donations to the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign in Bingham County. Now that the campaign has begun, people will start to see volunteers ringing the bells, and they’ll have the opportunity to make a donation or sign up to ring the bells as well.

“We appreciate and thank everybody that has helped us or is going to help. It goes a long way,” said Priscilla Gutierrez, Bingham County Program Manager for Southeastern Idaho Community Action Agency (SEICAA).

Because the Salvation Army doesn’t have a headquarters in Blackfoot, SEICAA carries out the Red Kettle Campaign for Bingham County.

In previous years, Bingham County’s campaign has struggled to fill all of its time slots for volunteers to ring the bells and look for donations.

“We have seen that if the kettles are out and they’re being rung, people in our community are fantastic. They will give, they will help, they will participate,” Hebdon said.

In 2023, the organizers decided to shorten the time slots and eliminate a slot that wasn’t being utilized often.

As a result, the campaign’s donations actually increased from the previous year. While in 2022 the campaign raised $16,354, the total increased to $18,611, bringing the campaign closer to the $19,004 it raised in 2021.

This year, SEICAA has set a goal to raise $20,000 by the end of this season.

While the campaign’s funds usually go towards the Salvation Army’s programs, it will sometimes donate them to an outside organization. The funds raised in Bingham County go towards community programs offered by SEICAA.

For both the money raised in Bingham County as well as funds raised in other counties that go towards the Salvation Army’s own programs, the majority of the donations stay within the local community. According to Hebdon, 90 cents of every dollar goes towards community programs, while only 10 cents go towards administrative fees.

“It could help with their rent, with their utilities, with groceries, prescription medication, some hospital bills, transportation to go to the doctor’s office, schooling as well. That’s a few things,” Gutierrez said.

People who want to help the Red Kettle Campaign reach its donation goals, they can sign up to ring the bells on the Salvation Army’s website. People in Bingham County who want to volunteer their time can sign up online.

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