This story was first published Monday afternoon, Dec. 28, 2020.
The familiar red kettles of the Salvation Army were out again across Berks County this Christmas season, but they werenât as full as in years past.
Like other local nonprofit groups, the Salvation Army s fundraising effort was hit hard by COVID-19.
The pandemic cut traffic at the stores where the bell-ringers set up and dropped donations from more than $100,000 in Berks in 2019 to about $75,000 this year.
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This yearâs campaign goal had been raised to $150,000 to account for the sharp increase in demand for services due to the pandemic, so just half of that goal was raised, said Maj. Darren J. Mudge, the commanding officer and pastor.