AP FACT CHECK: Trump floods rally with groundless grievances

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Around town: It’s OK these days to have a complaint or two

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The image was stark.
				A middle-aged man was standing in front of the entrance to Kmart in Edwardsville, ringing a bell next to a Salvation Army Red Kettle.
				The store wasn&rsquo;t very busy. The man kept ringing the bell. Donations were few and far between.
				Sure signs of the holiday season are the iconic Red Kettles of The Salvation Army and their volunteer bell ringers.
				Not only do they add a festive touch to the season, the revenue generated via these activities is critical to The Salvation Army&rsquo;s ability to provide much needed services to the community.
				While The Salvation Army&rsquo;s Red Kettle campaign is in full swing across the region, with three weeks left until Christmas, kettle donations are falling significantly short.
				The Salvation Army&rsquo;s Red Kettle campaign is crucial to its ability to serve struggling families in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
				As such it is sending an urgent plea to individuals, corporations and groups to generously give to the Red Kettle campaign.
				Lt. Ismael Ortiz has been leader of the Salvation Army&rsquo;s Wilkes-Barre chapter since August, with his wife, Irseris.
				Ortiz said for the first time in 130 years, The Salvation Army is facing disaster itself, with its famous annual holiday fundraising campaign, The Red Kettles. Ortiz said the funds raised through the organization&rsquo;s iconic red kettles are at risk this year due to COVID-19, while requests for services are at an all-time high.
				Based on the increase in services already provided in response to the pandemic, the organization is serving up to 155% more people in 2020 with Christmas assistance, including putting food on the table, paying bills, providing shelter and helping place gifts under the tree &mdash; assuming the resources are available.
				&ldquo;Due to the closing of some retail stores, consumers are carrying less cash and coins,&rdquo; Ortiz said. &ldquo;And with the decline in foot traffic where Red Kettles are typically placed, The Salvation Army could see up to a 50 percent decrease in funds raised nationally through the kettle season, which would limit the Army&rsquo;s capability to provide services for the most vulnerable in our communities.&rdquo;
				To put this in perspective, last year $126 million was raised nationally through about 30,000 Red Kettles, with the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware division raising more than $3.3 million.
				&ldquo;Throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic, our local Corps &mdash; The Wilkes-Barre Citadel &mdash; has not stopped serving, has not stopped being available, has not stopped, &lsquo;Doing the Most Good,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ortiz said. &ldquo;We have seen a 155% increase in services at our Corps and continue to serve as resources become available.&rdquo;
				Ortiz said the local Salvation Army food pantry has gone from serving 150 families, to just last month serving 500 families.
				&ldquo;We have collected over 600 applications for Thanksgiving family food meals, and over 600 applications for Christmas family food meals,&rdquo; Ortiz said. &ldquo;Over 2500 children have been registered for Christmas gifts and toys, including a large amount being special needs. And lastly, we have been asked by over 300 people for coats and winter gear, which we have purchased some and are currently seeking donations for the rest.&rdquo;
				The needs are huge, necessitating a successful Red Kettle campaign.
				&ldquo;In addition, we host The Kirby Health Center Family House, which is a homeless family shelter, where we house up to 10 homeless families at a time,&rdquo; Ortiz said. &ldquo;While providing a roof over their heads and three squares a day, we provide basic life skills education, as in money saving techniques, personal hygiene, parenting, job readiness and much more.&rdquo;
				Ortiz said all these services are only possible through help from friends and community partners.
				&ldquo;We rely very heavily on The Red Kettle Campaign to take us through the year, continuing to provide services to those most vulnerable of our community,&rdquo; Ortiz said. &ldquo;About 75% of our yearly operations count on this campaign to make it happen.&rdquo;
				Ortiz said after just over a week into the Red Kettle Campaign, the organization is experiencing a shortage of volunteers and a shortage of participating partners where a stand can be placed.
				&ldquo;The few stands that we do have out are doing great,&rdquo; Ortiz said. &ldquo;We are seeing people of the Wilkes-Barre community are reaching deep into their hearts and giving to their neighbor and we are truly grateful, but we are not out of the water yet,&rdquo; Ortiz said. &ldquo;Our yearly Red Kettle Campaign goal is about $100,000. The only way to reach that goal is with the continued help of our Community to those most vulnerable.
				If you are interested in helping those most vulnerable of our community here&rsquo;s how to help:
				&#8226; Enlist in Love&rsquo;s Army by giving what you can online safely and easily.
				&#8226; Consider making a monthly contribution.
				&#8226; Ask Amazon Alexa to donate by saying, &ldquo;Alexa, donate to The Salvation Army,&rdquo; then specifying the amount.
				&#8226; Give any amount by texting KETTLE to 41444.
				&#8226; Donate digitally with Apple Pay or Google Pay at any red kettle in PA or DE.
				&#8226; Donate physical gifts in bulk to The Salvation Army Wilkes-Barre Citadel, 17 South Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre PA 18701.
				&#8226; Adopt additional Angels to give hope and joy to kids and families in need through The Salvation Army&rsquo;s Angel Tree program.
				&#8226; Check out the Facebook page and send a donation.
				&#8226; Buy a gift on the Wal-Mart registry page.
				&#8226; Round up your bill at Wal-Mart as those proceeds go to &ldquo;Doing The Most Good.&rdquo;
				Every donation online or at the Red Kettles provides help and hope to those in need, and all gifts stay within the community in which they are given.
				The Salvation Army Wilkes-Barre Citadel and all its partners and affiliates are grateful to all the donors and helpers who help fight the good fight.
				&lsquo;Rescue Christmas&rsquo;
				The impact of COVID-19 has been devastating on many levels &mdash; from health care to the economy to the quality of life &mdash; everyone has been impacted in some way.
				Due to loss of jobs, more people than ever before are seeking assistance when it comes to food, shelter and other basic needs.
				The Salvation Army&rsquo;s annual Red Kettle Campaign, already a crucial component of its annual funding, has taken on an even greater meaning in 2020.
				&ldquo;This is what we were concerned about as we developed the Rescue Christmas messaging in the first place,&rdquo; said Lt. Colonel Larry Ashcraft, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware Division. &ldquo;We feared the pandemic would have a direct effect on kettle income which is why we started the fundraising season early for the first time in 130 years.&rsquo;
				Ashcraft said to date, though, there has seen a 46% decrease in in-person kettle donations. Retail foot traffic was down by 50% on Black Friday, according to the Wall Street Journal, while online sales are surging.
				&ldquo;We are at a critical moment where the success of our efforts will directly impact our ability to meet the increased needs,&rdquo; Ashcraft said.
				Volunteers and Salvation Army Officers are standing at kettles at retail outlets throughout the region and they are counting on the generosity of donors, as well as potential matching gift opportunities, to rescue this Christmas season for those in need.
				To help their efforts, they have made giving at the kettles safe by giving all bell ringers special CDC training, requiring them to wear masks, gloves and to practice social distancing and sanitize the kettle after every donation. Apple pay and Google pay at the kettles allows contact-less giving via a cell phone and QR code.
				&ldquo;No amount of change is too little to bring about change,&rdquo; Ashcraft said. &ldquo;We need the community&rsquo;s help now, more than ever. We don&rsquo;t want to turn anyone away because we don&rsquo;t have the resources to help, and we don&rsquo;t want to cut any programs that give our clients new hope, new opportunities, and new life.&#173;&#173;&rdquo;

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Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign hoping to ‘Rescue Christmas’