12.2.2025 - Salvation Army Red Kettle Kickoff

Good morning, Fall River. My name is Kurt Nelson. I'm the advisory board chairperson for the Fall River Salvation Army, and we're here today to start our kickoff campaign for the uh kettles. We we have kettles out at all different locations. Today we're from Market Basket and over the next month we'll have kettles out Monday through Saturday at Walmart and at Market Baskets and other uh retailers in the area. We ask

that you please come out and support the Salvation Army where every dollar raised stays local. Goes back to our soup kitchen, our food pantry, our children's programs, our our music programs which you're seeing today. We have our We have our brass band here. They're doing a great job. With that, I will turn it over to our captain, Captain Serg Lane, who who uh is the commander of the Fall

of Salvation Army. He'd like to say a few words. Thank you.

Thank Thank you, Kurt. We really appreciate it. And our advisory board is doing a fantastic job. You know, without donors and volunteers like our fine gentlemen and ladies behind me, the Salvation Army would not be able to provide such great services in the greater uh Fall River area. Our food pantry, our soup kitchen, all the programs we do is because of the generosity of uh residents of the

greater Fall River, actually Bristol County. We really appreciate it. So we here to raise funds to ask our neighbors, those who are able to donate to the Salvation Army to help bring joy to those who are less fortunate than we are. So we are grateful. Thank you for coming out. Thank you.

You're always good with Good morning everyone. As you know, the Salvation Army never turns anyone away.

We can all remember as children shopping and seeing those red kettles always there. And people would always give whatever they had or whatever they could spare to such a great cause. The Salvation Army is non-denominational, which means they give their gifts to everyone. No one is left behind. So during this holiday season, if you could remember or you have a little extra change, you can always help us at the

Salvation Army. And there is another way you can help as well. you could man one of these kettles. If we don't have volunteers to man the kettles, then we have to pay people to come in and man the kettles. So, your donation could be double, tripled, or quadrupled if you could volunteer a couple of hours to be a kettle person for the Salvation Army to be able to help those in need,

especially at this time of the holidays.

My best wishes to you and your families for a very merry Christmas and a very happy new year. May God bless each and every one of you for your generosity.

Thank you.

I'm so happy to be a part of this advisory group and um it started out with the Rotary. I'm also in the Rotary and we started manning the kettle bells for the Rotary and donating on time. So, Saturday this week, we'll be at Walmart and Swansea and the Rotarians will all be manning both doors at the Walmart and Swansea. So come down. Hopefully we'll bring the kids and some music. I don't

think we can travel with the band, so we have to bring our own portable music, but we'll be great. So come on down.

Good morning. Happy Christmas time, Fall River. It's our city. If you're a community leader, a talented individual, an educator here in the city, we welcome you to stand with us by the red kettle.

To wrap things up, this is our 140th year of serving the needy in Fall River.

So, we do need your support for another 140 years hopefully.

With that said, I'd like to thank our our uh the retailers that allow us to do this every year. You know, the Market Basket, the Shaws, Stop and Shops, Walmarts. Without their support, we couldn't fund all the programs we have at the Salvation Army, and uh also our volunteers and our staff. With that, merry Christmas everyone, and happy new year.