Elgin Salvation Army falls short of reaching its $240,000 Red Kettle goal: ‘We’ll make the most of what we have’

While raising more this holiday season than it did last year, the Elgin Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign has fallen short of its $240,000 goal.

“We’re still in the process of collecting and are expecting checks from some companies. We’re about $50,000 from our goal,” Elgin Salvation Army Maj. Roberto Viquez said.

“Every dollar raised stays in Elgin. So reaching our goal will mean we won’t have to consider cutting services,” Viquez said.

The nonprofit organization will have a better handle on its campaign results by the end of January, he said.

Viquez and his wife, Melissa, took over the Elgin Corps this summer. They were transferred from Minneapolis.

“Coming to Elgin has been a wonderful opportunity for us,” Viquez said.

It’s also been an interesting time, he said, because there’s been an increased demand for services in the second half of the year. That could be, in part, because some asylum-seekers sent to Chicago from Texas have made their way to Elgin, Viquez said.

“When I got my first haircut in Elgin in July, I wound up talking to some other guys in the shop,” he said. “I found out they were from Venezuela and Nicaragua.”

Beyond that, many people are still struggling with the increased costs of housing, food and other everyday items because of inflation and other factors, Viquez said. The Salvation Army has a first-come, first-served policy when providing assistance for rent and other essential goods, he said.

“If we wind up short of our goal or not, we’ll make the most of what we have,” Viquez said. “There’s a lot of need out there, and we intend to help as much as we can.”

While acknowledging they likely won’t reach their $240,000 goal, he said there have been examples of Christmas season generosity that left him thankful and inspired.

“We were short toys for our Christmas gift distribution, particularly for girls. But a woman (who wishes to remain anonymous) saw a story about that and contacted us. She wound up giving us 700 dolls,” Viquez said. “We are really grateful for her generosity.”

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.