I participated in a campaign on behalf of Influence Central for The Salvation Army. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
This Christmas, I am reminded of all of the blessings in my life from my loving and caring family to our warm home. I’m also thankful that we can provide a nice Christmas for our children. I know this can be a lonely, sad, and sometimes desperate time for some. Through donations to The Salvation Army Red Kettle, we all make it possible for The Salvation Army to give 4,500,000 people a better Christmas with toys, clothes, gifts, meals, and hope.
Teach Children to Give this Christmas with The Salvation Army
We have tried to instill the love of giving in our children since they were young. We participate in giving opportunities as a family each year for the Angel Tree, food drives, and shoebox ministries. My kids like it best when we can buy a gift for a child in need. We always choose a boy and a girl, like them.
We gave our kids another opportunity to give this year. We asked our kids if they were willing to take off 2 items off of their Christmas Wish List in order to donate that money to a child in need with The Salvation Army #RedKettleReason campaign. They eagerly accepted this challenge. The gifts that they took off of their Wish Lists were turned into donations to help kids in our own community have a better Christmas.
That is one thing that I love about The Salvation Army. The money you donate stays in your local community to help those in need all year long including helping the homeless, disaster relief, substance abuse rehabilitation, and even Christmas for children.
We have always donated to The Salvation Army, they can be trusted with my donations. I like to know where my money goes. With The Salvation Army, I know that 82% of every dollar goes directly to community service programs. That’s impressive, especially since the Better Business Bureau’s guideline is only at 65%. Every quarter, every dollar that you put into the Red Kettle this season goes to help a family in need, right where you live.
Give Children Opportunities to Give
I have found the Red Kettle to be the perfect opportunity to remind my kids of their blessings and how we can bless others with our donations. When given the opportunity, I have found that kids will always respond with willingness to give to others. When my kids know we are going shopping at Christmastime, they try to remember to bring their own money for the Red Kettle. My heart was filled with joy when my kids also offered to give of their own money too.
If we want to change our kids’ mentality from gimme, gimme, gimme to give, give, give, we need to give them the opportunities to do so. I don’t know what could be easier than the giving at the Red Kettle on your next shopping trip.
You can take it a step further and become a virtual bell ringer to raise money for your community by creating an Online Red Kettle. People can donate through your kettle by texting “KETTLE” to 808888 to make a $10 donation. This is the perfect time for donating to charity for end-of-year tax benefits too.
#RedKettleReason
So, what is your reason for giving? Share it with the #RedKettleReason hashtag.
My #RedKettleReason is because I know it is what God would have me to do. I can’t feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, or clothe the poor on my own but I know that my donations can do this with The Salvation Army. As a Christian, I am called to help those in need.
1 John 3:17-18 states: “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
I can love through my giving. And when I give to those in need, it is as though I am giving to Jesus.
Matthew 25:37-40 “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
You can use hashtag #RedKettleReason to see why the rest of America is giving too on social media and on RedKettleReason.org. They even have an interactive mosaic and a map of the conversations happening on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
To donate or learn more, please visit SalvationArmyUSA.org, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY, or contact your local Salvation Army office. Connect with The Salvation Army on Facebook and Twitter with #RedKettleReason
