By NICK BUDD
Hays Post
After a lackluster year in 2013, the Salvation Army of Ellis County began the new year with a major success story. The organization raised approximately $38,000, almost twice the amount of the original goal of raising $20,000.
Almost 90 percent of the funds raised will go toward an emergency assistance fund, which is used to help those in need around Ellis County with standard living expenses such as rent, utilities and prescriptions.
“This is going to allow our services to encompass a lot more people,” said Ashley Allen, coordinator of the Ellis County Salvation Army. “Right now, our budget only allows us to help approximately five people in a month, so it doesn’t go very far.
“A lot of our focus has been on people who are homeless or those facing eviction notices so that is where a lot of our funding has went,” she added. “We’ve had to put people who don’t have an eviction notice or people who are starting out in a new house or apartment on the wayside, so we will be able to help more of those people out.”
Allen contributes the success to more locations and several groups that volunteered throughout the annual holiday campaign as well as a longer campaign, which kicked off in mid-November. Ten locations around Ellis County participated in bell ringing and seventeen others had counter kettles in their businesses. Around 20 groups including the Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Rotary Club, FHSU Student Athletes, Ellis County Sheriffs and Fire Departments, and the Hays Police Department, donated time or money to the campaign.
“I think a lot of our success is contributed to just being out there,” Allen said. “There weren’t a whole lot of locations that you could go in Hays where you didn’t see somebody.”
Allen added that a majority of the bell ringers were outspoken and outgoing, noting the organization plans to build the volunteer network next year so they can top this year’s campaign.
“There were days this year were we only rang in one location because of the lack of volunteers,” Allen said. “So over the next couple of years, I would like to get it to where we can use all 10 locations every day.”