{"id":84942,"date":"2025-12-07T10:27:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T10:27:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/84942\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T10:27:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T10:27:34","slug":"salvation-army-sees-surge-in-requests-for-help-amid-holiday-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/84942\/","title":{"rendered":"Salvation Army sees surge in requests for help amid holiday season"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 The Salvation Army is experiencing a significant increase in requests for assistance this year, while donations have dwindled, according to local officials.<\/p>\n

\"Salvation<\/p>\n

Salvation Army logo (File\/WWMT)<\/p>\n

Capt. Clinton Trimmer of the Bakersfield Salvation Army noted that the community remains generous, but the economic downturn has led to an increase in families seeking help.<\/p>\n

“We have had a record number of people apply for assistance with toys, for instance, this year,” Trimmer said. <\/p>\n

Nationally, requests for help have risen by 25%, with Bakersfield reflecting this trend.<\/p>\n

\"KBAK\/KBFX{p}{\/p}\"<\/p>\n

Trimmer attributed the rise to economic challenges, as families struggle to cover basic expenses.<\/p>\n

Merle Heatwole, the Salvation Army’s national commander, highlighted the difficulty families face in balancing daily needs with holiday celebrations. <\/p>\n

Despite the increased need, Trimmer observed that while more people are donating, the average gift size has decreased. <\/p>\n

\"Captain<\/p>\n

Captain Clint Trimmer with the Salvation Army poses for a photo next to the red kettle. Photo: KBAK\/KBFX<\/p>\n

“We are seeing average gifts going down,” he said. <\/p>\n

Comment with Bubbles<\/p>\n

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT<\/p>\n

The Salvation Army encourages continued donations, with opportunities available at the Shops at Riverwalk starting December 13, allowing contributions to local charities, including The Salvation Army.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 The Salvation Army is experiencing a significant increase in requests for assistance this year,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":{"0":"post-84942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bakersfield","8":"tag-bakersfield","9":"tag-bakersfield-headlines","10":"tag-bakersfield-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}