LYNN — General Electric (GE) donated $45,000 to The Salvation Army this week to help with their Item Santa and food pantry programs.
The donations came from GE’s Good Neighbor Fund, which is funded by employee contributions to be donated to local nonprofits and those in need.
This year, the Good Neighbor Fund gave more than $78,000 in donations to 10 different local organizations, all of which were voted on by the fund’s board members.
“The reason behind giving it is because this has been a tradition for many years, and the Volunteerism Council wanted to keep that tradition going to support all the amazing work that The Salvation Army does,” said GE spokesperson Alexis Kievning.
The Salvation Army sends letters to GE every year, requesting donations from the Good Neighbor Fund, but usually don’t receive donations this large.
Members of GE came to The Salvation Army to present the check, which Capt. Helen Johnson of The Salvation Army said was a great surprise.
“It was at the end of a long, busy day of helping people, and to have them show up with that was really encouraging,” Johnson said. “I was definitely surprised. We asked for a humble amount, but this was more than we asked for.”
In the past, GE has worked with The Salvation Army to target gaps in funding and make donations toward those areas.
The majority of the $45,000 donated this year — around $40,000 — will go toward next year’s Item Santa fund, and the last $5,000 will go directly to the food pantry.
“They are great community partners,” Johnson said.
In addition to the fiscal donation from GE, The Salvation Army also receives toy donations from local businesses and community members throughout the holiday season.
With these fiscal and toy donations, The Salvation Army has been able to provide more than 1,400 Christmas gifts for kids this year.
“I just want to thank our donors and those who hosted toy drives as well,” Johnson said.
Local groups and community members have been hosting their own events to raise money or collect toys to donate to The Salvation Army, contributing to the hundreds of toys that go to kids in the community for Christmas.
“Not everyone can host a substantial thing or event… but whatever people can do, it really helps,” Johnson said.
The Salvation Army is also hosting a Kettle Drive, which raises money for operations such as lighting, gas and electricity throughout the year.
For more information on the Salvation Army, visit the website at www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SALARMYLYNN/.
