Christmas in July hopes to help high demand at Bloomington food pantry

Salvation Army Mini Kettle
The Salvation Army will have red kettles at four Bloomington-Normal locations on Friday. (WJBC file photo)
(WJBC file photo)

By WJBC Staff

BLOOMINGTON – The Salvation Army of Bloomington is gearing up for its Annual Christmas in July Campaign to support a drastic increase in clients visiting the food pantry.

Christmas in July will kick off on Friday. Bell ringers and red kettles will be at all three Kroger locations and Hy-Vee from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be bell ringers and red kettles at the entrances to the CornBelters’ game on Friday.

A month-long food drive will be running at all three Kroger locations beginning Friday until the end of the month. Prepackaged food bags can be purchased at checkout. All of the items will go to the Salvation Army Food Pantry, which has seen increased numbers since the closure of Western Avenue’s food pantry at the end of May. For the month of June, the Salvation Army Food Pantry served 100 more people than it did in May.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the Salvation Army Food Pantry can call (309) 829-9476 or visit www.sabloomington.org.

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