How is the Salvation Army dealing with the loss of Target storefronts as bell-ringing locations? Not too bad, judging from this article:

Minneapolis-based Target Corp.'s decision this fall to stop allowing Salvation Army bell ringers at its stores has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Lake County Salvation Army.

Capt. Diana Williams said she lost three locations with Target's decision, and touched off a search prior to the start of the kettle drive to find replacement sites at other stores.

She looked at corporations the Salvation Army already knew would allow bell ringers, and contacted the local stores.

The result - seven new sites for a net gain of four. Salvation Army now operates 27 bell-ringer locations in Lake County.

I'm really glad to see it. It will be interesting to see if Target will be financially affected by this policy change, although I'm sure there won't be good numbers until January or February. (If the numbers are not as high as anticipated, I would expect factors like online shopping and gift cards to be cites as the cause rather than this one.)

If your local stores do not have any red buckets, you can still donate online. It is a good time of year to help out all charitable organizations.