Greensburg Salvation Army is short of 2019 Red Kettle campaign goal

With only eight days left, the Greensburg Salvation Army still has more than half of its Red Kettle campaign goal to raise.

Lt. Cheyenne Martinez, assistant corps officer, said the Greensburg Salvation Army had raised $41,296 as of Monday — leaving $48,704 still to be raised toward the 2019 goal of $90,000.

Martinez said the Greensburg Corps also needs volunteers to serve as bell ringers between the hours of 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

About 14 red kettles can be found at eight or nine area stores, including Walmart, Giant Eagle, Save a Lot, Big Lots, Walgreens, and the Westmoreland Mall J.C. Penney.

This year, the Salvation Army is giving people the option to donate by using their smartphone. Smart chips and QR codes have been placed on all red kettle signs, allowing shoppers to “bump” or scan their phones to make a digital donation.

Shoppers will be directed to a custom donation page that accepts Apple Pay or Google Pay. The money will then be distributed to local Salvation Army units based on the donor’s billing ZIP code, and an email receipt will be sent directly to their phone.

The Salvation Army lost about a week of Red Kettle fundraising this year because of the late Thanksgiving Day. The fundraising campaign usually runs from Black Friday to Christmas Eve.

To volunteer at one of the Greensburg sites, call Martinez at 724-834-3335, ext. 100, or email her at: Cheyenne.Martinez@USE.SalvationArmy.org.