The Salvation Army announced that the Fargo-Moorhead had surpassed its 2016 Red Kettle Campaign fundraising goal at a press conference at the Salvation Army Chapel at 304 Roberts Street on January 24. The highly visible fundraising campaign, which features dozens of bell ringers at locations across the Fargo-Moorhead metro area, sought to raise $900,000 during the holiday season. Michele Berg, incoming Salvation Army board chairperson, announced that the campaign took in a total of $904,678.

“I want to thank Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo residents and I also want to thank the outside communities,” said Berg. She added that visitors who shop, dine and visit the metro area are a vital part of the fundraising campaign’s success.

A total of 16 businesses, churches, professional organizations and groups contributed 120 or more hours of volunteer service to the campaign, including the Moorhead, Fargo, West Fargo and NDSU police departments, the Clay and Cass County Sheriff’s Departments, the North Dakota and Minnesota Realtors Association and off duty firefighters from the region. An additional 17 businesses, non-profit organizations, service groups and individual citizens also contributed 40-119 hours of volunteer time. Learn more about Salvation Army’s programs, services and year round volunteer opportunities at salvationarmynorth.org/community/fargo/ or 701-232-5565.