FILE PHOTO: In this Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, photo, bell ringer Carolyn Harper points to two ways to donate via mobile device to the Salvation Army's annual holiday red kettle campaign on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Cashless shoppers have a new option to give to the Army's red kettle campaign this year using their smartphone. Leaders hope adding Apple and Google payment options will boost fundraising to the campaign, which makes up 10% of The Salvation Army's annual budget. Those donations fund programs providing housing, food and other support to people in poverty.
Aniya Faulcon is The Spark Host/Producer for WITF. She has a passion for shining a light on unique people, experiences, and perspectives within the community.
Previously she worked as the People and Social Trends Reporter/Video Anchor for LancasterOnline | LNPNews. During her time there, she created video packages, provided Facebook Live coverage at community events, and wrote data-driven stories with census data and feature stories on local leaders, non-profit organizations, events, and people with unique talents and experiences within Lancaster County.
Aniya also worked at WMAR ABC 2 News as a Sales Assistant and at the AFRO American Newspapers as an Executive Assistant and Media correspondent. Aniya interned at WEAA Gospel Grace 88.9 and worked at her alma mater’s radio station, WWPJ at Point Park University, where she gained skills and a passion for radio.
Aniya grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended the Baltimore School for the arts for high school with a concentration in acting. She continued to hone her skills and passion for storytelling and later graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Broadcast Reporting. Aniya is eager to continue her journey with storytelling in her role with WITF, as she aims to shed a light on real people and real stories within Pennsylvania in a variety of mediums.
Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Photo
FILE PHOTO: In this Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, photo, bell ringer Carolyn Harper points to two ways to donate via mobile device to the Salvation Army's annual holiday red kettle campaign on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Cashless shoppers have a new option to give to the Army's red kettle campaign this year using their smartphone. Leaders hope adding Apple and Google payment options will boost fundraising to the campaign, which makes up 10% of The Salvation Army's annual budget. Those donations fund programs providing housing, food and other support to people in poverty.
Airdate: November 16, 2022
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Many may be familiar with the Salvation Army Red Kettle seen outside of grocery and department stores but may not know what happens when they put change into one of those kettles.
Salvation Army Red Kettle donations directly go to a food pantry in Dauphin County, mentoring services for youth and adults, rental assistance services, nutrition education, providing free Bibles, after-school programs and employment support services.
Jenny Gallagher-Blom, Director of Programs and Operations for The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region, said donations go directly into the community not just to provide people in need with assistance during Christmas time but all year round.
She said, they served about 37,000 individuals with the money they raised this year.
“With inflation, we are seeing more and more individuals needing assistance and it is becoming more difficult to meet all of those pressing needs with costs rising daily, with the cost of fuel groceries,” Gallagher-Blom said. “Our food pantry this past year provided over 800,000 meals, that’s up by over 100,000 meals from last year and we anticipate that rising for our families and those that we’re serving.”
Toni Mark, Resource Development Director for The Salvation Army Harrisburg, said they hope to raise about $200,000 this year and exceed their 2021 donation goal, which was between $150,ooo and $180,000.
“Folks don’t realize, sometimes, the impact of all of us coming together with just the spare change in a vehicle, or in your pocket or whatever you have left over after after your own trip. It truly does add up with these multiple locations, multiple days,” Gallagher-Blom said. “So, you know, we talk about these little ways we can all contribute to big problems and that is a very small way we can all come together to have a big impact.”
