Walmart, Salvation Army expand opportunities for people to help others - Rome Sentinel

To help meet the unprecedented level of need this holiday season, Walmart and The Salvation Army Empire State Division are working together to make it easier for people to help others this Christmas.

Building upon a 40-year relationship of supporting people in need during the holiday season, Walmart and the Salvation Army are working to expand programs like Angel Tree and the Red Kettle campaign.

In-store and online Walmart customers will be able to round-up their totals when paying to include a donation to the Salvation Army in-store and online, according to company officials.

The economic fallout of the ongoing health crisis has led to a new population of families and individuals facing unemployment and financial hardships that are expected to last through the holidays and well into the coming year, Salvation Army and Walmart officials said, citing a recent study by Columbia University showed that nearly 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty since May. Throughout the Empire State Division, 4.3 million meals were served since COVID-19 hit, and 5.4 million were served in just six months. If the same level of requests persisted, that would mean a 40% increase of people who need help this holiday season.

“COVID-19 has presented unprecedented challenges and we have already seen a need for our services that surpasses any year prior,” said Major Ivan Rock, divisional commander of the Salvation Army Empire State Division.

“We are extremely grateful for our partnership with Walmart and the ability to tap into their customers for support to help us meet our increased need this holiday season,” the Salvation Army major added.

In most Walmart stores across New York, the expanded partnership includes:

Walmart will offer customers the option to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to The Salvation Army. Customers can do this in stores at manned cash registers, on Walmart.com or through the Walmart app. The option to donate will run through Dec. 31.

The Salvation Army’s Red Kettles and iconic bell ringers will be at participating Walmart stores even earlier this year, and have already begun efforts. The Salvation Army is adopting nationally mandated safety protocols for physical kettles to help ensure the safety of bell ringers, donors and partners. Bell ringers will also be at select Sam’s Clubs across New York.

Salvation Army Angel Trees will appear in participating Walmart stores, giving local shoppers the opportunity to select a child or children from the tree and to purchase or drop off gifts onsite.

Those who prefer to do their shopping online can visit salvationarmyusa.org/walmart-angel-tree to find their closest Angel Tree Registry, either in-store or online. Through the site, customers can shop for gifts and have them delivered directly to a local Salvation Army.

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