Salvation Army Bell Ringers Take Home Donations-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Bell ringers for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign receive some of the funds that they collect.
The Truth:
It’s not true that Salvation Army bell ringers take home part of the donations they collect.
The Red Kettle campaign was launched in 1891 to help the Salvation Army raise money to provide Christmas dinners to those in need. Today, volunteers and paid employees who ring bells outside of stores from Thanksgiving to Christmas raise enough money to help support 30 million people in need.
Many of the Salvation Army’s bell ringers don’t get paid at all. They are volunteers from companies or civic groups that sign up to handle bell ringing for a block of time during the holidays.
The Salvation Army pays a limited number of the bell ringers an hourly rate for their services. In 2013, bell ringers in Missouri were paid $7.25 per hour, and bell ringers in Illinois were paid $8.25 per hour, according to a Salvation Army job post.
All of the proceeds from the Red Kettle campaign ($144.7 million in 2014) are used to pay for nights of shelter, meal programs, after-school programs and substance abuse counseling.