The bell ringers were still enthusiastic and the kettles were the same shade of red, but the Lansing-area Salvation Army kettles ended up a little emptier this holiday season.
After volunteers rang their bells for the final time, the kettles were collected and the coins totalled, officials came up with $185,000 - about $40,000 less than last year.
With less foot traffic at area malls and stores, Capital Area Commander Major David Corliss said fewer people were reminded by the bell ringers to dip into their coin reserves and donate to the Salvation Army.
He said the reasons for the drop in foot traffic, and ultimately donations, are not completely clear.
Corliss looks to bad weather, which was prevalent in December - possibly keeping shoppers indoors waiting for milder weather or searching for alternatives to the mall, such as the Internet - to explain why shoppers gave less.
A study released Dec. 26 by Goldman Sachs/PC Data said overall online holiday spending nearly doubled in 2000 compared to 1999. From the first week of November through Dec. 17, total online spending was $8.7 billion, a 108 percent increase over the $4.2 billion consumers spent on the Internet during the same period last year.
“We’re just now getting into exploring online donations,” Corliss said. “As we look at how America shops today we also need to look at how America donates today. We need to look at a possible change in direction on some of our collections.”
Before the season, local kettle donations were steadily rising.
“They’ve been increasing for several years, and that’s why it was such a surprise to see them drop this year. They may be planing off, but to see them drop was a surprise,” Corliss said.
The number of Lansing-area families that received toys and vouchers for local stores from the Salvation Army increased from 4,000 to 4,360, regardless of the drop in donations. The number of families to benefit from the Salvation Army holiday program was based on last year’s donation levels.
“We gave them the same amount this year, maybe a little more. If additional monies don’t come in, we will have to adjust our ongoing budgets,” Corliss said. “We’re going to feel the decline.”
Though Lansing-area donations decreased, nationwide levels varied, Capt. George Hood of the Salvation Army National Headquarters said.
“We have 1,500 different units that solicit fundings. We get different responses from all across the country.”
