Donations to Salvation Army are down

A combination of cold weather and a good economy is being blamed for the extremely low donations to the central Iowa Salvation Army. Captain Nelson De La Vergne says he’s surprised the quarters and dollars aren’t adding up to more. He says they’s about 37-thousand dollars short of their kettle fundraising goal.De La Vergne says the charity is only about half-way to its overall Christmas season fundraising goal of 460-thousand dollars. He says the bitter cold weather has kept many volunteers from ringing the kettle-side bells, while the good economy may also be effecting people’s perceptions, as they believe the need is not there because of the strong economy. De La Vergne says the needs haven’t gone away.De La Vergne says without the charitable donations, hundreds of central Iowans won’t get help paying their utility bills, and they won’t get the hoped-for donations of toys, food and clothing for the holiday.Salvation Army offices are located in most of Iowa’s larger towns. To reach the Des Moines office, call (515) 282-3227.