Bigfork Chamber brings in $10,925 for Salvation Army

The Salvation Army bell ringers may have been absent from grocery store entrances this year, but that didn’t stop Bigfork residents from filling the red kettle online. Over the past Christmas season, the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce collected $10,925 in their “virtual red kettle” earning them the City Wide Bell Ringing Award for raising the most money in the Flathead County area. Notably, the Bigfork Chamber more than tripled their original goal of $3,500.

“Just like always - we ask and Bigfork rises to the occasion,” said former chamber president Janine Beaubien during Monday’s award ceremony. “Bigfork always delivers and we are so proud of that.”

It’s a title that has eluded the small, but mighty, chamber for years -- they have consistently finished in the second or third spot, but rose above the rest in 2020 thanks to a well-focused online fundraising campaign.

“I think the reason they did so well is they directed everybody to one site,” said Major Larry Feist with the Salvation Army.

The Bigfork Chamber also took home the inaugural Golden Bell Award in the “Host with the Most” category for bringing in the greatest number of individual donations in the Salvation Army Northwest Division, which covers the area of Washington, Northern Idaho and Northern Montana.

Kautzman said the chamber normally brings in between $1,800 and $3,000 over a holiday season so this year’s total of nearly $11,000, in a pandemic year to boot, was especially outstanding.

“I don’t think any of us would have imagined almost $11,000,” she said. “What is different about the virtual kettle is you can give a little bit and I think this proves that a little bit makes a huge difference.”

Kautzman said many people didn’t have the opportunity to attend in-person fundraising events last year, which perhaps is why folks were being so generous with contributions to the virtual red kettle. Each chamber board member was asked to set a fundraising goal and with encouragement from executive director Rebekah King, they were able to get the word out on social media. For Kautzman, the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign holds a special place in her heart.

“I was a Salvation Army kid when I was a little kid,” she said. “If they need it, they will help you.”

And 90% of the funds raised by the Bigfork Chamber will stay in the local community with the remaining 10% funneled to the Salvation Army’s northwestern headquarters in Seattle.

“Helping people -- that's what we do, it’s all about others,” Feist told the Eagle following the award presentation. “I get great satisfaction when I know I’ve helped somebody with a hand up — not a handout.”

The Salvation Army plans to continue the virtual red kettle campaign for the 2021 season in addition to bringing back in-person bell ringers at select sites. Each year, the Salvation Army helps more than 23 million Americans struggling with addiction, poverty and economic hardships by providing food, emergency relief and rehabilitation services.