Salvation Army's annual Sioux Falls $20 bill challenge coming Saturday
Group hopes to use matching funds to raise $75,000 as food, shelter needs grow
The Salvation Army in Sioux Falls will hold its annual $20 challenge Saturday, one of the major fundraisers the charity group holds during its bell ringing season.
Volunteers have been collecting donations outside grocery stores and other retail establishments during the Salvation Army’s holiday Red Kettle Bell Drive. The $20 challenge has become an anchor for that fundraiser, which started in November.
With each $20 bill, donors match that money and more, making it worth $100, said John Mogen, a Salvation Army board member.
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“People know their donation is going to stretch further,” Mogen said.
The $20 challenge has been going on for about 15 years. Mogen credited the board’s chairman, Steve Cook, with pioneering the idea. Generous community members step up to help match the donations. The campaign has been so successful that it’s been duplicated by other Salvation Army chapters.
This year the group is hoping to raise $75,000 through the $20 bill challenge.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical Christian organization that started more than 150 years ago in England. It soon spread around the world, with a prime mission as a Christian relief organization. The first Red Kettle campaign started in 1891.
The Salvation Army provides food, clothing, rent assistance and other relief to the poor, as well as holiday toys for children.
Last year, the Sioux Falls Salvation Army was serving about 600 families, Mogen said. This year, that number has climbed to 750. Many are immigrants with large families.
“The families from what I’ve seen are working,” Mogen said. “They’re not holding their hands out. They’re working lower paying jobs. They’re struggling because they have six or seven kids.”
Mogen said he can’t put his finger on why needs are higher.
“The price of food has stayed high,” he said. “I think we’re having some issues with getting product.”
The Red Kettle Bell Drive runs through Christmas Eve. The group is also sponsoring the Christmas Toy Town Campaign. Volunteers help clients shop for children’s toys. The group also has the Empire Mall Angel Tree, where gift suggestions can be picked up and then gifts returned.
During the Nazi occupation of Norway during WWII, it was the Salvation Army that offered assistance and childcare to mothers, especially recent war widows, with children. My mother always reminded me of their selflessness...Give!!!