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Source: The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.文件倉Oct. 21--It had to happen sooner or later. The Lynchburg Salvation Army has gone digital.This year, anyone wanting to help out the Army's annual Christmas fund can go to .onlineredkettle.org and contribute with a click. You can even choose a particular virtual kettle that is virtually manned by someone you know.I can see the logic behind this. These days, most of us tend to carry plastic in our wallets rather than cash, and the people standing (and, often, shivering) beside the "real" kettles don't take credit cards."We tried it about four years ago, and it didn't take, for some reason," said Chesley Vohden, director of development for the Salvation Army in Lynchburg. "Maybe we didn't do a good enough job of getting the word out. We're confident it will work this time."Based on national trends, she's probably right. The Salvation Army unveiled (or booted up) its online plan way back in 2005, but only in recent years has this option truly caught on. Online giving to the Red Kettle leaped from $1.7 million in 2011 to $2.1 million last year, and online contributions to the Salvation Army as a whole topped $21 million."It used to be an option for local Salvation Armies," Vohden said, "but now, it's mandatory."Which is not to say that the familiar kettles set up in front of department and grocery stores are going away. And volunteers still will be needed to count the spare change they collect."We definitely get a lot of change," Vohden said. "But it adds up."Occasionally, the money counters also find large bills and checks. But the more tax-savvy members of the Christmas shopping hordes might come to like the idea of giving online and receiving a receipt for Uncle Sam.Nevertheless, I would hate to see the kettles and their jingling bells disappear, because that's one of the things that provide a Christmas soundtrack for me. Af存倉er all, you don't hear many sleigh bells any more.During most of its existence, the Red Kettle campaign grew slowly. It first appeared in London in 1865, but didn't reach America until 26 years later. In 1993, the organization joined forces with Wal-Mart to "increase the visibility and incidence" of red kettles, and the Dallas Cowboys came on board in 1997. After that, innovation flat-lined until the last few years, when the Army suddenly catapulted itself into the 21st century.Today, you can even download an iPhone app enabling you to make a contribution to the Salvation Army."The key word is mobile," said Jason Wood, the Salvation Army's Director of Digital Communications, on the national website. "As more and more people are accessing the Internet via tablets and smartphones, it's essential that we give them mobile friendly solutions."The gut-level reason for all this, however, is decidedly low-tech. No one has yet figured out a way to be virtually homeless, and living in the woods or under a bridge in 2013 is pretty much like living there in 1913."We're going to use part of the money we raise to expand the number of beds we can provide, Vohden said. "Also, we serve two meals every day, breakfast and dinner."More than 700 people stayed at the Lynchburg shelter last year, some for as long as 30 days. And efforts are expanding on several fronts to not only feed, clothe and house Central Virginia's homeless but also to help them rejoin society. One program initiated by Lynchburg's Miriam's House will help move families from homelessness to an apartment, bypassing the usual shelter time.As Tiny Tim might say, bless them one and all. Although today, he probably would have sent that message by text.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) Visit The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) at .newsadvance.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存