STERLING — The Salvation Army is partnering with local organizations to help the less fortunate this holiday season.

Red Kettle Campaign

Most shoppers recognize the familiar sound of Salvation Army jingle bells outside of shops. The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign collects monetary donations to help feed the less fortunate.

Salvation Army Major Chuck Yockey said this year’s Red Kettle Campaign has begun and will run through Sunday, Dec. 24. He said the campaign raised $57,000 last year.

“Last year, we raised $15,000 over the previous year,” Yockey said. “So, this year, I want to do even better. That money is for our general funds which help provide all of our financial services, like rental and utility assistance. We also have a large food pantry that we assist, which helps a lot of families daily.”

According to the Salvation Army’s website, the campaign’s origins stretch back over 130 years.

Toy drive

The Salvation Army and Menards are calling on the community to help brighten the holidays for children in need this Christmas. Through the end of November, Menards home improvement stores will be collecting new and unwrapped presents for local children in need.

Sterling store manager Omar Castaneda said Sterling shoppers can place their donations in the drop box near the end of the registers.

“Once it gets close to Christmas, we’ll get the toys packed and call the Salvation Army,” Castaneda said. “They’ll take them and make sure everyone who needs a toy gets one.”

Yockey said this is the third year he has worked with Menards for the toy drive.

“They do a wonderful job collecting toys for us,” Yockey said. “Last year I had to drive out there three times to empty the boxes. It’s things like that which make the Angel Tree program a success.”

The Salvation Army Angel Tree program provides Christmas gifts to children and seniors in need nationwide. After registering, each recipient’s wish list is shared with local donors who purchase new clothing and toys, which are then distributed to the families.

“Those are real kids’ names we put on that tree,” Yockey said. “People pick a name and they go buy a specific gift for that child. The problem is, come around the 20th of December, there are a lot of angels still left on the tree. So, we take those angels, and we either shop for them or go to our toy shop and pick as much as we can that’s appropriate for that child. That way, everybody gets a good Christmas.”

Sterling Menards is located at 4220 30th St. and is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.