Salvation Army prepares to 'Spring into Action'

FINDLAY — The Salvation Army's iconic red kettles — most often associated with the holiday season — are about to make their spring debut. The buckets will have a prominent spot during the agency's first "Spring into Action" dinner set for 6 p.m. April 20 in the corps' gym, 301 Center St. The fundraiser is designed to help the Salvation Army not only fill a gap in the budget but also as a way to inform the community about the other offerings throughout the year including a food pantry, soup kitchen and summer day camp program for children. "Yes, this is definitely going to help us finance wise, but I think our big thing is just telling the community what we're doing, sharing it with everybody," said Major Mike Morales, who, along with his wife, Major Dianna Morales, are the commanding officers at the Salvation Army in Findlay. He said the community sees bell ringers out with the red kettles and him making Facebook appeals at Christmas. "But they really don't know what we do behind these doors," he said. "So we want to put that voice out there. OK, here's what you're supporting." The event will include a complimentary dinner donated by several restaurants. There will also be trivia, door prizes and a testimony of someone telling how the Salvation Army has helped them. Josh Elchert, owner of Heavenly Pizza, will also receive the Angel Among Us award. Major Mike said Elchert does a lot for the Salvation Army and the community. Children who come to the Salvation Army for programs will entertain with a song and/or dance. A smaller version of the red kettles will be on each table for additional donations. Other than the kettle campaign, this is the first large fundraiser the Salvation Army has hosted since COVID, said Major Mike. They used to hold a Soup for Two luncheon, but the last time they did it, it wasn't profitable, he noted. Major Dianna said the dinner is designed to help lessen the gap in the budget due to higher prices. A table of eight seats can be reserved for $400, while a single seat is $50. The goal is to get at least 100 people, she said. "We did the budget, and we need to make $15,000, but that's pushing it to fill the gap in the budget," she said. "If they put extra in the buckets on the table, that will help, too." "Even if they can't give anything else but the $50 for their seat, if we have 100 people, that's still $5,000. And that's a big help," she said. "Five thousand dollars can go a long way with the program." If they can't give financially, there are also opportunities to serve. People will be asked to fill out a card with their name and address for a thank you note, then check if they'd like to serve on the advisory board or help at Christmas. "That's a scary thing on my side of the house when we've got to buy things, got to buy food for the pantry, or the donations start waning off," said Major Mike. "It starts at the end of summer every year. For 25 years, it happens every year because people are thinking, OK, we're on vacation, we just got back from vacation. Money's tight so we can't do this, we can't do that. And then our pantry really starts crashing so this definitely helps." If donations do fall off, he said the agency may have to cut back on the days of food people receive or the number of children who can participate in programs. "We don't want to do that," he said. "But so far in the eight years we've been in Findlay, we haven't had to cut back." Walk-ins will be taken April 20. However, those people are still asked to call the Salvation Army and let them know they're coming so enough food is prepared. They can pay for their ticket at the door. To participate, contact Major Mike at 419-422-8238 or Michael.Morales@use.salvationarmy.org. RSVP by Monday.