RALEIGH, N.C. – It’s the sound that’s become synonymous with the season: the ringing of The Salvation Army’s red kettles. 

What You Need To Know

  • Due to inflation and impacts from the pandemic, the need is greater this year, according to Major Gene Hogg, general secretary for The Salvation Army of North and South Carolina

  • People can now donate by scanning a QR code on The Salvation Army bell ringer’s sign, and donate through Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo.

  • The Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign began back in 1891 in San Francisco

You may see The Salvation Army’s bell ringers at these participating businesses across North Carolina and the nation.

This year, the need is even greater, according to Major Gene Hogg, the general secretary of The Salvation Army of North and South Carolina.

All the money raised stays in the community where its donated, according to Hogg.

“We help the most vulnerable within our communities and even now, as inflation and everything that's happening, it's harder on even the working poor to make those dollars stretch…” Hogg said. “The need is on the rise because of the financial times in which we live.”

The red kettle campaign has adapted to a cashless society by now offering smart chips at donation areas, where people can use their phones to scan a QR code. That code allows them to donate through Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal or Venmo.

The money donated goes toward a variety of community services, including:

  • Toys and clothing for kids in need
  • Food and clothing for families
  • Programs to aid those in need with food, emergency and transitional shelter
  • Job training
  • Financial assistance
  • Day care and after-school care
  • Youth recreation and development programs
  • Some larger communities also offer drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and hospice care for AIDS patients and their families.

Volunteers are still needed. You can sign up by going to registertoring.com.

The final bells will ring on Christmas Eve.