Tyler Salvation Army holds Christmas Kick-Off

TYLER – The Christmas season is almost here, and The Tyler Salvation Army began celebrating Friday with a Christmas Kick-Off. Celebrations began at 11 a.m. in the breezeway between JC Penney and Chick-Fil-A at Broadway Square Mall. The Christmas Kick-Off launches The Salvation Army’s Kettle and Angel Tree season. This holiday season, 43 locations will be hosting the iconic red kettle as volunteers ring a bell to raise money for The Salvation Army with the goal set at $385,000. This year, each kettle stand will have a QR Code and an NFC tag which will allow donors to use Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, and PayPal rather than dropping cash or coins in the kettle.

With over 12,000 hours to be filled, Salvation Army staffers say volunteers are greatly needed through December 24. Anyone interested in volunteering to ring the bell this season may sign up here. You can also create a Virtual Kettle through that link. As for this year’s Angel Tree season, last month, The Salvation Army registered over 2,500 children and seniors for gifts for this holiday season. For more information, call Greg Mason at 903-592-4361 or 903-203-7686.