Donations are down but there's still plenty of time

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - 'Tis the season of giving but the giving seems to be lower than years past at the Salvation Army. Numbers are down so far for both the annual Red Kettle Campaign and Toys for Tots toy drive.

"To make some child happy, to make sure they got what's on their Santa list, that's real important," said Vicki Orem.
 
Santa's Toys for Tots list at the Salvation Army is rather long this year. But right now, not every child will get what he or she wished for. That's why Orem and her employees have decided to give back.

"I contacted them to see if we could have several Angels. I think they gave me 25 the first time and probably 15 the second time. I know we're going to make 40 children's Christmas Day really special," said Orem.

Major Jim Irvine said the toys will be distributed to the families in need next week. He said although there has already been a lot of toys dropped off, there's still several of children in need on the Angel trees.

Irvine said the Salvation Army is also having a tough time with reaching its $185,000 goal for the Red Kettle Campaign.

"The last time I was able to look at numbers, we were down about 10 percent from the same time period that we were the year before," said Irvine.

Irvine said the recovering economy may be to blame for the lower donations. There may also be another factor.

"Let's face it. We've been receiving some pretty warm weather here and people aren't thinking that it's Christmas time yet. That does make a difference. There's something magical about seeing snow in the air and watching the bell ringers," Irvine said.

Irvine said there's still plenty of time to donate to the Red Kettle Campaign. As for Toys for Tots,
people can still pick an Angel off a tree at Walmart or bring in a toy to the Salvation Army on Union Street.

Want to give back this year but money is tight? Major Irvine said the Salvation Army is still in need of bell ringers. He said it takes just two hours of your time. To learn how you can sign up, click here .