MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release
Wellington, Thursday 5 May 2011.

Looking for new ways to halt decline in street appeal donations.

Giving to The Salvation Army’s Red Shield annual street appeal has been in decline since the recession, prompting a search for other methods to meet increasing demand on its welfare services.

This year, The Salvation Army has introduced a $3 mobile phone text option for potential donors to help offset a 2.6 per cent decline in street donations since the start of the recession.

In the past three years, the number of families seeking emergency food aid from the Sallies' welfare centres increased 30 per cent (excluding The Salvation Army’s Christchurch earthquake recovery work), while donations have failed to keep pace with demand. The target for this year’s street appeal is $800,000. Last year, the target was also $800,000 but only $688,000 was collected.

The Salvation Army’s head of fundraising Major Robbie Ross says the trend seems to be continuing this year and puts it down to fewer people carrying cash, rather than Kiwis becoming less compassionate.

“But it is a concern when we have a growing number of families coming to us who are striving to get by in the face of continuing tough economic times,” he says. “Hopefully the $3 text donations will make a difference.”

All money collected during the Red Shield Appeal goes towards operating The Salvation Army’s 52 welfare centres. In most cases, companies providing the texting service take a proportion of the donation as a fee, but The Salvation Army will receive all money donated via text.

In the year to March 2011, 26,677 families received food aid from Salvation Army welfare centres and another 2000 families received food parcels from Salvation Army churches. Some 16,500 people received budgeting, social work and advocacy, counselling and other services to help solve the underlying causes of their need. These figures exclude Canterbury residents helped by The Salvation Army following the September and February quakes.

This year The Salvation Army will not be collecting in Christchurch as it believes this would impose on communities already under significant pressure. The Army will, however, collect donations at Christchurch Airport today only.

The Red Shield Appeal runs until May 8, although text donations run until May 23.

Issued on the Authority of Commissioner Donald Bell (Territorial Commander)
The Salvation Army, New Zealand Fiji & Tonga Territory

ENDS

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