MANKATO — To help make up for a slow start to its Red Kettle Christmas campaign, The Salvation Army is touting tap-to-pay options at select Mankato bell-ringing sites.
New tap-to-pay sites are up at Hilltop Hy-Vee, said Salvation Army Capt. Andy Wheeler. The nonprofit first introduced cashless options during previous campaigns but is touting it more this year in recognition of more people doing cashless shopping these days.
As Christmas Campaign chair Ben Hoffman put it, tap-to-pay gives people more options to donate.
“So many people are carrying less cash around, but they’ll always have their phone or credit cards,” he said.
For tap-to-pay, people hold their cards up to a sensor to make a donation on their way in or out of the store. Donors can also scan a code using their phones to donate through Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay or another preferred e-commerce app.
Coins and bills are, as always, accepted as well, Hoffman said. Most shoppers donating on Wednesday dropped in coins or bills, although Wheeler said he saw some people start using the tap option since the sensors were installed.
As much as donations matter, added Wheeler, having bell ringers at kettle sites makes a noticeable difference.
“The biggest thing for us is not having people to ring bells at all sites,” Wheeler said. “Yesterday the only place I had covered all day was both sides here (at Hilltop Hy-Vee).”
He and Hoffman encouraged volunteers to sign up for ringing at registertoring.com. Volunteers can lend however much time they have to spare, usually in two-hour increments.
The Christmas campaign began Nov. 21 and continues through the weeks leading up to Christmas. The campaign is behind where it was at this point in 2022, but Hoffman said donation matches from corporations have him feeling hopeful.