Help Those Bell Ringers

More positive press for Target from today's Cincinnati Enquirer:

As of last week, the Greater Cincinnati Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign was 10 percent short of the same time last year, said volunteer coordinator Matt Pearce. The organization hoped to raise more this year - $430,000, up $10,000 from 2003's total - but it's running out of time. The campaign ends Friday.

"These last five days," Pearce said, "are vital."

It's tough to pinpoint why donations are down, Pearce said - that can depend on anything from the economy to the weather - but one cause may be the absence of kettles at Target stores.

Target Corp. barred the bell ringers, saying it had to apply its no-solicitation policy to everyone. The loss was a blow to the Salvation Army. Nationwide, bell ringers at Target stores brought in $9 million last year, about 10 percent of all donations.

In Greater Cincinnati, they brought in more than $75,000, nearly 20 percent of the local kettle revenue.

But Target's ban had a curiously positive effect as well, Pearce said. Hearing of Target's decision, people began calling the Salvation Army to see how they could help. Some pledged not to shop at Target. Others made a special effort, as Linda Spore did Monday at Fountain Square, to find a kettle and make donations.

"With the bad came the good," Pearce said.

Whoever at Target made that decision should be canned.