Kettle campaigns beginning, but no credit card options yet

The familiar sound of bells start ringing in front of stores this week all around eastern Iowa.  And that means another Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign is underway.

But donors in this part of the state won't see one of the innovations now being used in central Iowa-at least not this holiday season.  At some kettles in Des Moines, Newton, Marshalltown, Ottumwa and Fort Dodge the bell ringers will accept credit and debit cards.  The so-called “e-Kettles” use a battery powered card scanner to process electronic payments and even print out receipts for tax purposes.

But Capt. Terry Smith of the Iowa City Salvation Army said there's just one problem with that concept-the Iowa weather.  Out of 16 kettles locations in the Iowa City area only one is in an indoor location.  In Cedar Rapids, the indoor total is zero.

Capt. Smith said the batteries powering the card readers don't last long in cold weather-so chapters in eastern Iowa are sticking with the tried and true dollars and cents.

“Right now we haven't figured out how to do that exactly (make them work outside), but in the next few years we'll take a look at that as a serious consideration,” Smith said.

Both Salvation Army chapters in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are hoping for more from the kettle program this holiday season.  Iowa City began bell ringing on Monday.  Cedar Rapids starts with volunteers and paid bell ringers on Tuesday.

Holiday donations, mostly the kettles, contribute about half the yearly donations for all Salvation Army programs.  The goal in Iowa City was raised to $250,000-a 10 percent increase from the year before.  Cedar Rapids is hoping for growth of 4.5% in the kettle campaign.  That would mean raising $668,000.  Lt. Michael Sjogren, a Corps Officer in Cedar Rapids, said one reason for a more ambitious goal is the needs keep getting bigger.

“Our pantry assistance has tripled over this past year and our energy assistance and rental assistance has more than doubled,” Sjogren said.

One Coralville shopper, Gina Houtakker, said she didn't realize the kettle campaign's importance to the year round mission of the Salvation Army.  But she's one donor who rarely passes by without putting something in the red containers.

“When the kids are with me we usually put a little bit in here and there.  It may not  be a lot every time, but it adds up,” Houtakker said.

Army leaders hope more people share that spirit.  Because a lot of big plans are based on the small change from holiday shoppers.