Salvation Army kicks off annual Red Kettle campaign across North Texas

The nonprofit is aiming to beat last year's donation total of nearly $1.5 million

Bells are ringing across North Texas as the Salvation Army again launches its annual Red Kettle donation campaign for the upcoming holidays.

The nonprofit kicked off the 134th Annual Red Kettle campaign Thursday with a performance from Lainey Wilson at the Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving game at AT&T Stadium and will continue until Christmas Eve.

The Salvation Army said every dollar donated stays in the community and helps provide social services, including shelters, community feeding, after-school programs, addiction-recovery programs, summer camps, and disaster assistance.

This season, about 629,000 North Texans are experiencing food insecurity, 159,000 are at risk of eviction or foreclosure, and nearly 2.5 million adults are struggling to pay for typical household costs, according to a recent Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey.

“The Christmas season is an opportunity to come together as a community,” said Major Paul McFarland, area commander of The Salvation Army of North Texas. “Donations made at Red Kettles allow us to reach more of our neighbors facing poverty, addiction and homelessness throughout the entire year."

The Red Kettle program is sponsored by Energy Transfer, which the Salvation Army said is vital to ensuring they "... can effectively meet the physical, social, and spiritual needs that arise in every pocket of the region."

“Through our longtime support of The Salvation Army, our employees have been able to witness firsthand the positive effects of the organization’s efforts in the community,” said Chris Curia, executive vice president and Chief Human Resources Officer for Energy Transfer. “As a key driver of donations for The Salvation Army, we know the Red Kettle Campaign is vital to much more than just the Christmas season, and we are proud to once again serve as the sponsor for the initiative.”

This year, the Salvation Army said they aim to recruit more bell ringers, generate enough support to continue servicing more than 100,000 individuals, and beat the previous year's donation total of $1,504,000.

The organization said nearly half of its revenue was raised between October and December.

However, with five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve this year, they're projecting up to 15% less in funding and are encouraging additional help from the community.

Make a Donation

• North Texans can donate cash, coins and checks at a Red Kettle location outside partnered storefronts in Dallas, Rockwall, Tarrant, Ellis, Denton and Collin counties.
• Donations can also be made online to a virtual Red Kettle campaign.

Register to Ring

• North Texans can register to bell ring at a Red Kettle location by visiting registertoring.com. The Salvation Army also encouraged individuals or groups to get involved by hosting a virtual Red Kettle campaign for their neighborhood.

The Salvation Army operates four shelters, two senior living facilities, and two in-shelter addiction recovery centers. Its shelters house about 1,300 individuals every night, and its three recovery programs treat roughly 500 people per week.

They also feed about 10,000 people every week across their 12 food pantries.