UNFORTUNATELY FALLING SHORT RIGHT NOW. THOSE FAMOUS RED KETTLES SEEING A LOT LESS DONATIONS. AND THE SALVATION ARMY NEEDS YOUR HELP. JOINING US IN STUDIO THIS MORNING, MAJOR JOHN BRACKENBURY WITH THE SALVATION ARMY. SO AGAIN, NOT TO NOT TO SOUND LIKE A BUMMER OR ANYTHING, BUT THOSE KETTLES RIGHT NOW YOU’RE SEEING THAT THEY’RE SIGNIFICANTLY LIGHTER. YEAH, WE’RE LOOKING AT ABOUT A 25 TO 30%. REDUCTION IN WHAT WE’VE HAD FROM LAST YEAR. AND IT IS CONCERNING, YOU KNOW, WITH CHRISTMAS BEING SO CLOSE AND WITH CHRISTMAS BEING SO CLOSE, PEOPLE THINK, OKAY, WELL, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE GIVING TIME IS DONE. THEN ONCE CHRISTMAS IS OVER. BUT REALLY THOSE KETTLES REPRESENT MONIES THAT WE NEED TO KEEP OUR SERVICES GOING ALL YEAR LONG FROM THE COUNTLESS NUMBER OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICE THAT WE HAVE, JUST NOT JUST IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY, BUT ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND AGAIN, THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS WEEKEND REALLY JUST IMPORTANT. ABSOLUTELY. WHAT DO YOU FOLKS LAUNCHING THIS WEEKEND? WELL, YOU KNOW, WE’VE GOT A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS THAT WE HAVE OUR BELLS AND OUR KETTLES OUT RINGING. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A COUPLE OF EVENTS. WE HAD GUY FIERI COME OUT OVER IN SANTA ROSA. WE HAD A BATTLE OF THE BADGES IN, OUT IN FRONT OF ARDEN MALL. AND SO WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS. BUT REALLY WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS JUST FOCUS PEOPLE ON THE JUST THE SEASON OF GIVING AND THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN NEED, NOT JUST THE HOLIDAY SEASON, BUT THAT WE SEE ALL YEAR LONG THAT THESE DOLLARS REALLY GO TO HELP SUPPORT DOLLARS ARE IMPORTANT. YOU ALSO NEED FOLKS TO COME OUT THERE AND STAND AND RING THE BELL. AND MAN, THOSE KETTLES. ARE YOU STILL ACCEPTING VOLUNTEERS AT THIS POINT? YES, ABSOLUTELY. PEOPLE WANT TO COME OUT AND RING. YOU KNOW, IT REALLY IS CAN BE A FAMILY EVENT. COULD BE A FUN EVENT WITH YOUR FRIENDS OR YOUR FRENEMIES. AND GETTING PEOPLE OUT THERE JUST TO ENJOY THE TIME TOGETHER. YOU KNOW, WE GET SCHOOLS THAT COME OUT AND GROUPS THAT WILL SING AND PLAY MUSIC. IT REALLY DOES HELP TO BRING AND TO BRIGHTEN THE HOLIDAY SEASON, AND IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A NEED AND WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE EVERY SINGLE YEAR. I TELL YOU WHAT, AND AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS DONE THAT NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE YEARS, IT ALSO GETS KIND OF ADDICTIVE. YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE COMPETITIVE ASPECT. YOU ONCE YOU HEAR THAT FIRST COIN OR YOU SEE THAT FIRST DOLLAR GO IN. YEAH, IT MAKES YOU WANT MORE PEOPLE TO COME OUT. AND IT’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY JUST TO MEET, MEET PEOPLE. I WAS IN RENO A FEW DAYS AGO AND WAS OUT THERE WITH ONE OF THE STATE SENATORS, AND SHE JUST HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME. SHE HAD NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE, AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN, AND I WAS OUT THERE FOR A WHILE WITH HER AND JUST GREETING PEOPLE AND HEARING THEIR STORIES AND SEEING THE EXCITEMENT AND KIDS FACES AS THEY’RE GIVING MONEY BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT’S GOING FOR A GOOD CAUSE. YEAH. AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CAUSES, BECAUSE THERE’S A VARIETY OF SERVICES THAT YOU FOLKS OFFER. FOLKS WITH THIS MONEY. ABSOLUTELY. SO OUTSIDE OF THE FOOD AND THE TOYS THAT WE’RE PROVIDING FOR CHRISTMAS, WE ALSO HAVE CHILD CARE PROGRAMS. WE HAVE SENIOR PROGRAMS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION PROGRAMS, WHICH IS SUCH AN ISSUE FOR US ALL. RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A SUMMER CAMP THAT WE SEND KIDS TO THAT JUST DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO BE ABLE TO GO. SO THERE’S PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR THAT THESE DOLLARS HELP TO GO AND SUPPORT. OKAY. SO IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT OUT OR YOU DON’T SEE A KETTLE FOR SOME REASON, THEY’RE OUT THERE. YEAH. DROPPING YOUR MONEY. BUT IF THEY CAN’T GET OUT THERE, HOW ELSE CAN THEY MAKE A DONATION? PEOPLE CAN GO ONLINE AND GO TO GOSWAMI DOT COM, MAKE A MAKE A DONATION THERE. THEY CAN ALSO FIND WAYS TO BE ABLE TO VOLUNTEER, NOT JUST NOW BUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. YES. BECAUSE THE VOLUNTEER ALLOWS US TO STRETCH OUR DOLLARS EVEN MORE. SO GO SALAMEH.COM OR FIND ONE OF THOSE RED KETTLES AND WE EVEN TAKE APPLE PAY TOO, IF PEOPLE WANT TO PAY THAT WAY.