Annual Salvation Army drives fall short

The Salvation Army bells heard outside grocery stores and other locations across Eastern Iowa fell silent Monday evening.  Salvation Army officials across the area said it's been a "good" year, despite the fact that all of the area's biggest campaigns had yet to reach their goals as of Monday night.

"It's extremely important that we hit $350,000 (the goal)," said Lia Pontarelli of the Salvation Army in Johnson County. As of late Monday, that campaign was about $100,000 shy of its goal.

As of Monday evening, the Salvation Army in Linn County was more than $140,000 off their goal of $755,000.

Pontarelli said services could be cut if the goals are not reached.

"We provide hot meals all year," she said.  The Salvation Army in Johnson County serves up to 70 meals a night at their on-site kitchen just outside downtown Iowa City.

Campaigns in both the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area and Dubuque remained under goal Monday, but leaders were optimistic that a last-minute push could drive online and in-person donations.

Donations for the red kettle campaigns in all four areas will continue to be accepted into next month.