The 2026 Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign in Knoxville brought in over $20,000.

The total amount raised was $20,207 which Pastor Brent Hanna who oversees the Knoxville chapter of Salvation Army says is down about $4,000 from 2024. However, Hanna believes the decline is due mostly in part to not being able to ring one Saturday due to cold temperatures and one group failing to report on a Saturday. Salvation Army volunteers rang the bell for a total of 227 hours with 47 different teams and several individuals.

The Knoxville Salvation Army closed down two years ago due to running out of funding, but was able to re-open thanks to a strong holiday fundraising season the year before. The organization helps the Knoxville community in several different ways, including finishing rent or utility bills that are not able to be paid along with the police department using the funds to help provide temporary shelter for individuals or gas vouchers. Hanna tells KNIA/KRLS that all the funds raised benefit people in our local community.

“One really significant part of this is that 90% of the money stays and is used in Knoxville and the surrounding area. That is pretty awesome. The other 10% is set aside for disaster relief within the region like central Iowa and so forth. In just the time I’ve been involved here up to three times the Knoxville area and surrounding area has used this disaster relief.”

The Salvation Army center in Knoxville is now open two days a week at 308 E Robinson St. on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm.