Posted on 12/04/2017 9:16:50 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
Belk has given Salvation Army bell-ringers and their iconic red kettles the heave-ho — just in time for the Christmas season..
The national department store chain will no longer allow Salvation Army volunteers to man kettles outside their stores — a move that is expected to result in a $1 million drop in donations.
“It’s a huge impact for us,” Salvation Army Lt. Rob Dolby told the Todd Starnes Show. “Those funds go to operate Christmas programs serving tens of thousands of kids.”
Dolby works with the Salvation Army in Anderson, South Carolina. He said the money dropped into those kettles also funds the operation of shelters, addiction and treatment facilities and youth programs.”
The Salvation Army said they were told the department store ban had something to do with a change in Belk’s “social consciousness.”
“We believe that a lot of Belk’s customers align with the Salvation Army’s views. We believe in saying ‘Merry Christmas’ because we believe Jesus is absolutely the reason for the season,” Dolby told the Todd Starnes Show.
So why — after all these years – did Belk decide to stuff the Salvation Army’s kettles with a lump of coal?
A company spokesman told me they decided to go in a different direction with a new “social impact program” as part of their “Home for the Holidays” campaign. And by holiday — I’m assuming they mean Christmas (but who knows?).
Belk has decided to partner with Habitat for Humanity International to raise $600,000 to build a house.
“There is great power in all our Belk associates and customers rallying around one cause – and we really want to focus all of our efforts on this impactful campaign,” the Belk spokesman told the Todd Starnes Show.
Certainly, Habitat for Humanity is a noble effort — but what harm is there in allowing the Salvation Army to set up kettles outside the department stores?
“The Salvation Army does a lot of important work in the community — and perhaps there will be opportunities to partner with them in the future,” the spokesman said.
To help offset the losses — the Salvation Army has set up a website where you can lend a helping hand..
Belk certainly has the right to kick the Salvation Army to the curb – but that does not make their decision right.
I just can’t imagine what the folks in charge were thinking — especially for a company that advertises itself as “Southern.” Maybe they’re under new management — “Potter, Scrooge and Grinch, Esq.”
What is a Belk and why would I want to patronize it? I’m serious, I’ve never seen or heard of this chain in all my travels through the US.
Why couldn’t they keep the SA bell ringers and still build their crappy HFH house?
A Salvation Army worker sadly got killed in Ohio. I think maybe the dirtbag culprit thought the uniform he was wearing meant he was a cop. That’s just my speculation.
Bell is a Kohls clone. I bouight a belt there once.
Is Belk run by a bunch of lefties??
I donated $$ to some nice Salvation Army bell ringers just last week at our local Stop & Shop (equivalent to Publix).
I detest these charitable programs devised by companies to appear generous. They ask customers and employees to donate small amounts of cash, which the company pools and distributes under its own name - and presumably claims a deduction on their taxes.
Leftists ruin everything.
http://find.mapmuse.com/map/belk
I had never heard of them before the Belk Bowl a couple of years ago.
Havent we found out that SalvationArmy is slimy with other people’s money?
Maybe Belk heard too ~~~~~
Did you mean “Belk is a Kohl’s clone”? Typo forgiven.
How about the next sentence with a little editing?
“I bought a Belk belt there once”.
In Alaska you would be saying “I bought an Elk belt there once”.
Salvation Army is one of the few good charities. Bye bye Belk.
No, just the opposite.
The Salvation Army should write this creepy corporation off and give them no more publicity. Banning the bell ringers is just another corporate attack on Christianity, Christmas and Christ.
Leni
The Belk family sold the stores at the end of 2015 to
Sycamore Partners, a New York private equity group.
The stores have gotten a lot junkier since then. My local Belk went from being a nice store to looking more like a Marshall’s or Ross.
Sounds like the Belk family let too much control flow to others and this is the result.
Hmm...sounds like they got some heat. Good.
>> This was something Bill O’Reilly was really good at, shaming these companies in their war on Christmas.
Exactly.
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