About $10,000 was raised in Trenton during this past Christmas season’s Salvation Army bell-ringing campaign. Chillicothe Salvation Army Service Center Director Lynda Snuffer reports that this was double the amount of money raised in the previous season.
She notes there was only one bell-ringing site in Trenton this past season. Organizations and individuals volunteered to bell ring at Hy-Vee for 164 hours.
In Chillicothe, Snuffer reports about $15,000 was donated at Hy-Vee, $1,600 at Tractor Supply Company, $4,700 at one door at Walmart, and $6,000 at the other door at Walmart.
The final total for money raised in Trenton and Chillicothe was $37,443. The Salvation Army Service Center of Chillicothe serves Livingston and Grundy counties. Snuffer says there were some changes with the bell ringing.
Several people in Chillicothe wanted to keep bell ringing.
A group from the First Baptist Church of Trenton also helped a lot.
Snuffer says she is thankful for the volunteers and reports a total of $20,000 was raised from bell ringing in Trenton and Chillicothe in 2022. She notes the main goal for 2023 was $25,000, and a second goal was $40,000. After the Salvation Army hit its first goal this past season, it started to look at whether it could reach the other goal.
The response indicates a lot about Trenton and Chillicothe and how much can be done for rural areas.
Some of the money raised during the bell-ringing campaign came from larger anonymous donations. Part of the money raised during Christmastime is used to start programs. A portion of the funds go toward other needs for the Salvation Army Service Center.
The center also served about 430 individuals in Chillicothe, 120 individuals in Trenton, and 270 families this past Christmas through its Angel Tree Program. Some of those families had children, and some did not.
The Salvation Army went to the senior centers in Trenton and Chillicothe to talk to residents who were previously unable to be reached so they could be included in the Christmas program.
One concern was meeting the needs of shut-ins. The Salvation Army worked with the senior centers in Trenton and Chillicothe and sent bags to 181 individuals who are shut-ins.
Contact the Salvation Army Service Center of Chillicothe at 660-646-3538 for more information on its Christmas programs and other services.
