Posted on Wed, Nov. 18, 2009

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Outside 2 Dillons stores, it'll be paper or plastic

BY courtney looney

The Wichita Eagle

In order to keep up with technology and to try to increase donations, the Salvation Army of Wichita is testing debit and credit card machines at two red kettles this Christmas season.

The red kettles — part of the Christmas Campaign to raise money for the poor, homeless and others in need — are at approximately 60 retailers in Wichita. Two of them — Dillons stores at 21st and Rock Road and Central and Maize Road — are testing the new technology, which may be used at other locations in the future.

"They had tried the machines in the southern territories of the Salvation Army, so we thought we could give it a try here," said Tim Brown, the organization's director of development.

The well-known bell-ringers will continue to stand beside the kettle to collect both cash and debit and credit card donations. But a shopper may not hear the familiar sound of a ringing bell once the winter cold sets in.

If it is 40 degrees or below, the volunteers will stand inside the store because the machines will not be able to withstand the cold temperatures and could malfunction, according to Judy Lowery, a volunteer at the Dillons on Central and Maize Road.

She thinks the response has been good since the Salvation Army began collecting donations Saturday morning.

"It looks like we have had around 12 entries on the machines today and other cash donations," Lowery said. "It is really about the convenience for donations. It is quick and easy."

The machines, which accept Discover, MasterCard and Visa, allow donors to swipe their cards and enter the desired donation amount. Each donor signs a receipt and drops it into a padlocked kettle for record keeping.

Brown said that the transition to debit and credit card machines came with the changes in technology.

"A lot of people have talked to us about the fact that they don't carry cash anymore," Brown said.

The two Dillons locations were chosen because they are high-traffic areas, which are needed to test the machines, Brown said. The company has always supported the Salvation Army, he added.

Lowery said that so far she hasn't heard any negative comments.

"There is such a need in the community this year," Lowery said. "Not everyone is carrying cash, and it's pretty easy."

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