The local unit of the Salvation Army kicked off the Red Kettle season with a planning meeting on Wednesday, November 15.

The sounds of Christmas bells will be in the air locally the weekends of December 8-9 and 15-16 when volunteer Salvation Army bell ringers set up at locations around town.

This year the Red Kettles will be at Bagel Delight, 30 Church Hill Road; Dunkin Donuts, 6 Queen Street; Newtown General Store, 43 Main Street; Stop & Shop, 228 South Main Street; Yankee Wine & Liquor, 6 Queen Street; and Walgreens, 49 South Main Street.

The past few years has seen a decline in donations, which the Salvation Army is hoping to remedy. Each kettle stand will now have a “tiptap” sign that will allow donors to make a donation using their credit or debit card. This makes it easier to donate, especially for those who no longer carry cash or who are just rushing between locations.

In addition to the new “tiptap” access they will also have a way to donate online.

As with the kettle donations all of the “tiptap” and online donations will be credited to the Newtown Unit’s campaign and the funds raised will help Newtowners directly.

Who Gets Helped

In partnership with the Town of Newtown Department of Human Services (DHS), the local unit of the Salvation Army addresses emergency needs of Newtown residents.

Money raised from the Newtown Salvation Army Red Kettle collection stays in Newtown to help those in need of assistance. Food, rent, and energy costs are the most significant requests for help that are received.

According to estimates from Feeding America approximately 380,000 — or one in every ten — Connecticut residents struggle with hunger, and more than 83,000 children are food insecure. Food shortages for those in need continue to climb, causing families to make tough choices: rent payment or dinner tonight? Car repairs or lunch money? This is a problem that affects many Newtown residents.

The 2022 Red Kettle collections and private donations in Newtown raised over $10,000.

Additionally, as a result of the local unit’s “Christmas in July” collection the Salvation Army was able to assist the Newtown DHS in helping local families buy back-to-school supplies and back-to-school clothing for their children. The local schools were also a big help in identifying the needs of these families.

The Connecticut Divisional HQ provides funding to the local unit. That award plus the funds raised in kettle collections and local donations provided over $20,000 in assistance to help Newtown families when they needed it most.

How To Help

The Salvation Army-Newtown Unit needs help in the form of time and money.

Those who can spare an hour to ring during the weekends of December 8-9 and/or 15-16 are invited to send an email to newtownringers@yahoo.com for details and available openings.

There will also be an online sign-up link that will be published in The Bee in a letter to the editor.

For those who do not have time to ring, donations can be mailed, from individuals or businesses, to Newtown Salvation Army c/o Newtown Center for Support and Wellness, 28 Trades Lane, Newtown CT 06470.

Donations will of course also be accepted during the Red Kettle Campaign weekends in December.