SCHNUCKS EMPLOYEES GIVE $2,000 BOOST TO SALVATION ARMY

The Salvation Army has always been an expert at making a little go a long way. This year, however, in the throes of one of the coldest Cape Girardeau winters in history and a substantial increase of cases for assistance, the Army budget is stretched.

A major budgetary factor, the 2000 "Tree of Lights" campaign, fell about $23,000 short of its goal.

"Right now, we're in the process of receiving a lot of requests for help with utility bills," said Salvation Army Maj. Robert Gauthier as he displayed the latest utility bill for the Salvation Army building at 701 Good Hope. The bill was more than $2,100.

The Salvation Army has already provided assistance throughout the year to more than 1,000 families for food, clothing and other needs, in addition to providing coats and toys to almost 1,000 children, despite operating on a smaller budget.

The budget received a $2,000 boost Monday morning, with a donation from Schnucks Food and Drug employees, designated for the Tree of Lights fund. Schnucks store manager Dennis Marchi presented Gauthier with the big check Monday.

"We still need funding," said Harry Rediger, chairman of the 2000 Tree of Lights campaign. "People can still donate to the Tree of Lights by sending, or dropping off, a check to the Salvation Army.

$191,960 raised

The latest $2,000 check boosted the fund to $191,960, shy of the $220,000 goal.

The Tree of Lights campaign includes funds from the Christmas kettles, solicited mail-in funds and unsolicited checks.

The Kettle fund, which had to withstand the snowstorm, extreme cold temperatures, starting Dec. 15, finished about $2,200 head of last year, said Gauthier. The Salvation Army received $66,000 from solicited mail-ins, and $39,000 from unsolicited checks.

"We still have a few funds to come in," he said. "We'll probably wind up about $23,000 short of the goal.

The "Tree of Lights" funding amounts to about a third of the Salvation Army's annual budget.

"The bad weather really took its toll on us." Gauthier said, "and, with the increase in natural gas prices and the extreme cold weather, we need everything we can get."

Tree of Lights goals have increased to almost triple the goal of a decade ago. The goal in 1990 was $80,000. By the mid-1990s, the goal was $140,000. The goal reached the $200,000 mark in 1998, when $202,000 was raised. The 1999 and 2000 goals were at $220,000.