Where DOES all the money go?

Last week, Fox 59 ran a story on our fundraising efforts and our Tree of Lights goal of $2.75 million. The article focused on how donations were down in the days before Christmas. And while all of that was good information, the part of the article that jumped out at me wasn’t part of the article at all – it was the comment by a reader who wondered “where does all the money go?”.

Well, that’s a good question. These goals seem like an awful lot of money to the average person tuning into a nightly newscast.  When an organization raises $2.75 million, the community SHOULD wonder (and get an answer to the question) where does the money go?

Well, in 2008, our partners (like you) made it possible for The Salvation Army to…

- serve 66,392 people by providing shelter and care

- provide 192,937 meals

- give winter coats to over 4,000 kids through Coats for Kids

- play Santa to 900 families through the annual Angel Tree collection & Toy Shop

- assist 1,286 people with substance abuse care

- sent 546 at-risk kids to summer camps

- ship 6,957 care packages to our troops through Operation Compassion

- provide $2.5 million in assistance, over 10,000 meals & 4,000 flood kits to Indiana flood victims

“Doing the Most Good” isn’t just a slogan for The Salvation Army. We’re serious about using the dollars you’ve entrusted to us to do the most we can do to make a difference in the lives of the men, women and children who come to us for help. And it’s not too late to help us meet our Tree of Lights goal for 2009. Just go here. Thanks for your support and continued partnership!