The Salvation Army
Newark Corps kicked off its Red Kettle Campaign today on Giving
Tuesday.
Giving
Tuesday is a day that Americans come together to give back to their
communities. The unofficial
holiday takes place each year on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
“The need has only
increased so families who were a bit well-off aren’t as well-off,” says
Major Jonathan Jackson, with the Salvation Army New Jersey Division. "We
have all been affected by this, and we all as a community, as a state,
need to find a way to bounce back together.”
The Salvation Army
works to make the holiday season more enjoyable for many as they kick off the
Hope Marches on Campaign in Newark and throughout the state. About
400 red kettles are set up statewide. The organization says around
90% of the donations received are directed back to the community.
“During Christmastime,
it’s all about the kids,” says Drew Grisham, director of Human Services with
the Salvation Army. “Many of the families unfortunately are thinking about
food on the table or paying the light bill. You’re not thinking about
Christmas.”
As eviction moratoriums are being lifted at the end of the year in New
Jersey, the funds in the kettles go toward helping with food, utilities, rent,
mortgage and youth programming.
According to the
national calendar, the National Day of Giving was started in 2012 as a way to
focus on charities and nonprofits after the commercialization seen on Black
Friday and Cyber Monday.