Evergreen Chamber tops red kettle bell ringing competition
Gary and Luann Mahugh ring bells for the Salvation Army in front of the Super 1 Foods in Evergreen as a woman makes a donation on Thursday, Dec. 2. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
The Evergreen Chamber of Commerce topped the Salvation Army red kettle bell ringing competition last Thursday by bringing in a whopping $5,074.57 for the day.
Placing second was the Bigfork Chamber, which collected $2,893.40, followed by Columbia Falls with 991.57 and Whitefish with 645.45. The Kalispell Chamber did not participate, the Salvation Army said.
While the Evergreen Chamber won bragging rights for raising the most money on the Salvation Army’s Chamber Day, the competition is not over. The Virtual Kettle is still collecting and will be open through the entire season, the Salvation Army said. The trophy will be awarded to the Chamber that collected the most in-person and online donations combined.
To donate online go to https://give-nw.salvationarmy.org/campaign/kalispell-virtual-kettles-2021/c351265
The Salvation Army has been present in the Flathead Valley since 1895 and, in addition to Christmas help, services offered throughout the year are hot breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday, free showers and laundry facilities, clothing and household vouchers, children sponsored for summer camp and new backpacks with school supplies for back to school.