The drop in temperatures makes it tougher on the people ringing the bells at the Salvation Army red kettles, and it also puts a bit of a chill on donations. Lia Pontarelli, is the spokesperson for the Salvation Army in Cedar Rapids. “Having such a cold start to our kettle season is not very exciting to us, ” Pontarelli says. “Last year it got very cold, but it got cold a little later in our kettle season.” Cold weather makes people want to get in and out of stores quickly and keeps them from stopping to drop a donation into the kettles.

“We’re hoping that as the holidays come a little bit closer — with Thanksgiving this week, Christmas is a month away now– hopefully people will start getting in that spirit and despite the cold weather they will still give.” Modern economics have also hurt the kettle campaigns across Iowa and across the country as Pontarelli says people don’t carry as much money with them. She says they are trying to use technology and social media to help out with the donations.

“Encouraging people to be an on-line bell ringer. You can set up a kettle yourself and you can send an e-blast out, you can post it on your social media and you can help be a bell ringer in your pajamas, on your couch or in front of your fireplace,” Pontarelli explains. She says they’ve looked at many options to make it easier for people to chip in.

“Different locations have tried text to give at the red kettle, where you can text in your donation. Some locations tried having a credit card machine right at the kettle, but again you’re walking into as store and you really don’t want to fumble through to try to find your wallet and pull out your credit card,” Pontarelli says. “And then also with the cold weather you really have your hands bundled up with your head down and heading into the store, and that’s never going to change that. So, going to the on-line method I think is a good change for us.” Pontarelli says you can use the on-line system anywhere in the state.

“If you do a Google search for Salvation Army in your town, you should be able to find the Army that is closet to you,” Pontarelli says. “And also the same goes with the online red kettle. If you go to on-line red kettle dot o-r-g (www.redkettle.org), you should be able to find the red kettle nearest your location.” She says the red kettle campaign raises important funds for the organization. “During the Christmas campaign we raise about 40-percent of our annual operating budget, so it really helps set the pace for what we are going to be able to do throughout the entire year in the community.” according to Pontarelli. “It helps us pay people’s rent in June or provide meals in September for kids. So the money that we raise now is imperative to the help that we can provide our community year round.”

The Red Kettle Campaign runs through Christmas Eve.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the cause of a small electrical fire at a northwest Iowa plant owned by the makers of Blue Bunny ice cream. Wells Enterprises says efforts are underway to figure out the cause of the Monday night fire at one of its facilities in Le Mars. No injuries were reported.

ELDORA, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has been given probation for stealing from an elderly man under her care. District Court Judge Michael Moon recently ordered to suspend a 10-year prison sentence for 60-year-old Pamala Hammond. She will instead be on probation for two- to five years. Hammond pleaded guilty last month to a count of theft in connection to the estate of James Curtis Ruby, of Eldora. The 88-year-old veteran died in 2012.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man is back climbing trees after he fell 40 feet from one over the summer, breaking several bones. Owner Kevin Hardy of Cutting Edge Tree Services in Mason City fell from a tree in Charles City on July 20. He broke nearly everything but his will. Hardy suffered several injuries in the fall, including a broken clavicle and ribs. After several hospital stays and rehabilitation work, Hardy says he considers himself a lucky man.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa school has filled more than 3,500 shoeboxes with items like toys and clothing intended for impoverished children overseas. The shoeboxes filled by Great River Christian School students were loaded into a semitrailer destined for Minneapolis, where they will eventually be flown to other countries. The shoebox delivery is by Operation Christmas Child, an organization the school has been helping for 11 years.

A Pottawattamie County man was sentenced, Monday to spend five-years in prison on a child pornography charge. United States District Judge Stephanie Rose ordered 42-year old Anthony John Wesolowski, of Council Bluffs, to serve 60 months in prison by for possession of child pornography, plus  10-years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

An extensive investigation began when law enforcement determined that Wesolowski was using a file sharing program to obtain images containing child pornography over the internet for a period of several years. On July 8, 2014, Wesolowski pled guilty and admitted that on October 31, 2013, he had images on his home computer that depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.