COEUR d’ALENE — For Don “Pepper” Smock, donating to the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign is personal.

“I grew up on a dirt street in Coeur d’Alene,” he said. “I know when you help people, especially children who can’t help themselves, you help the entire community.”

Smock, owner and president of Windermere Coeur d’Alene Realty, presented a $10,000 check to the holiday fundraising program on Friday.

Pepper and Midge Smock have given funds to the program for several years.

“We help people have a direction in their lives,” Pepper Smock said. “That’s one reason I have a heart for this.”

Christy Markham, Salvation Army Kroc Center development director, said the donation is the single largest to the Red Kettle Campaign and sets a great tone toward its goal of $190,000.

“No one else matches what they do for the kettle campaign,” she said.

The Smocks’ gift will basically replace an entire day of Red Kettle contributions.

“It’s pretty significant,” Markham said.

The Salvation Army would normally begin its bell-ringing program the day after Thanksgiving at 20 sites around Kootenai County and run it through Christmas Eve.

Due to the coronavirus, it won’t begin until Dec. 5, which means they will have fewer days than usual to receive donations.

There was even a chance they wouldn’t be allowed to put the famous red kettles out at all, but the Salvation Army’s national offices recently gave the green light.

Kettles will be at Fred Meyer and other grocery stores.

”So we’re good, it’s just a shortened season,” Markham said. "It did mean we had to get creative with the fundraising and do some virtual kettles early.”

The Salvation Army Kroc Center will launch a virtual campaign to "Rescue Christmas" on Oct. 27 with live Facebook events. 

They filmed some short clips in advance for that kickoff at the Windermere office on Friday.

Volunteer bell ringers are needed, “more than ever this year.”

Volunteers typically cover 25% of hours at the kettle while 75% of the hours are covered by paid staff working the kettles 15–35 hours per week.

“Due to the shortened season, we will be relying on a volunteer kettle staff,” according to the Kroc Center website.

Info: www.kroccda.org