SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- The Springfield branch of the Salvation Army Massachusetts Division is preparing for its biggest fundraiser of the year and calling on local residents to help their community in need.

The organization will kick off its annual Red Kettle campaign on Friday, November 28 and is still looking for volunteers. Collection sites will be set-up mainly outside busy shopping plazas around the area. Stacy McNeil, captain of the Springfield Salvation Army, said every dollar donated during the Red Kettle campaign is crucial to the organization’s mission. “It is a fundraiser that raises critical dollars, not only to support the Christmas programs that happen throughout Springfield and, of course, the state of Massachusetts, providing food and clothing, but it also supports the programs that we serve throughout the year, including emergency assistance, clothing, food, paying utility bills, and all of those other things that we do,” she explained.

McNeil emphasized the importance of volunteer participation in the organization’s work. “Volunteers are critical to the work that the Salvation Army does, not just through the Red Kettle program, but all throughout the year. We couldn’t do the work that we do without our volunteers and so, the money that we raise through our volunteers is money that can go right back into the community to support the needs,” she noted.

The fundraiser comes at a crucial time for many Western Massachusetts residents as 1.1 million people in Massachusetts, who received SNAP benefits are struggling with food insecurity after the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, lost funding due to the government shutdown. “We’re at a critical need for funds to be able to support those that are experiencing the government shutdown, experiencing inflation, experiencing rising costs of different things in their own life and so raising money to be able to support those needs that are happening, that are coming up, it seems like every single day, it is critical to be able to help support the community and the members in it,” McNeil said.

If you would like to contribute to their campaign, you can visit their website.

Copyright 2025. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.