Salvation Army reports record Christmas donations

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Nickels, dimes and quarters added up quickly last Christmas despite the economic slump as Americans donated a record $139 million to the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign.

Bell ringers set up the signature red kettles in front of an estimated 25,000 locations across America on Thanksgiving Day. The Salvation Army reported a 7 percent increase in giving over the $130 million record of 2008. The Red Kettle campaign, the nation’s longest running annual fundraising campaign, helps Salvation Army provide more than 28 million Americans with food, shelter, rent, substance abuse treatment and Christmas assistance each year.