HARTFORD – Those iconic Salvation Army red kettles accompanied by the clanging bells have been a sign of the holiday season for the past 129 years but donations have gone down in recent years.
Leaders at the Salvation Army say that as society has become more “cashless” donations into the kettles have suffered but now technology is stepping in.
This year, across Connecticut, kettles will now be equip with smart chips able to take donations digitally via QR code, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.
“If you have a cellphone you can do a very quick and easy donation,” said Major Greg Hartshorn, from the Salvation Army of Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Laura Krueger, the director of marketing for the Salvation Army of Connecticut and Rhode Island said, “we are catching up to technology.” Then Krueger added, “this is something exciting and new for our donors – it’s not just cash in the kettles anymore.”
The Salvation Army said that most of their kettles, an estimated 450 of them across Connecticut, will be in place on Black Friday, November 29th.