The Salvation Army of Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel and Tyler counties is seeking more volunteers and donors to meet fundraising goals at the halfway point of their kettle season.

The Christian charity organization has reached around 25% of its fundraising goal this year with two weeks left to go. The Salvation Army also set a goal of garnering 200 volunteer participants. They currently sit at around 125, according to a news release.

The organization has seen recent decreases in local, state and federal funding as more and more organizations crop up in the region in need of funds, and as money is allocated elsewhere.

At the same time, there has been a steady increase in requests for rental, utility and food assistance, forcing the Salvation Army to increase their donation goals from the kettle program to bridge the gap.

While the dollar amount the organization has raised is largely the same as this point in last year’s season, the percentage is lower due to increased fundraising goals.

“We’ve had those decreases but we’ve also had incredible increases in the need for rent, utilities and food in all of our counties,” said Salvation Army Lt. John Lawrence. “As a result we’ve had to up our overall goal for the year from $100,000 in 2023 Christmas Kettle Season to $200,000 in 2024.”

Lawrence said though there is typically an increase in donations in the last two weeks of Kettle Season, they are still in need of more donations.

“We’re looking for more volunteers to ring the bells and to meet those needs,” he said.