Salvation Army's Tree of Lights campaign kicks off

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Salvation Army's holiday fundraising campaign is officially under way.

The Christmas Tree is now lit outside Salvation Army Headquarters along North Meridian, symbolizing this year's Tree of Lights program.

The Army hopes to raise $3 million before the end of the holidays. That's a quarter million dollars more than last year. In fact, it's the first increase in two years.

Leaders say the demand for services is up dramatically. Salvation Army organizers said requests for services are up 16% overall this year and the need for help over the holidays specifically appears even greater.

For example, the WISH Tree Toy Drive usually gets 30 or 40 first-day applications, but this year the Army got 100 applications.

"And we provide them with toys and a meal and just an all-around good Christmas," said Salvation Army spokesman Jeff Stanger. "But we're going to have to work really hard to get them all toys this year."

The money raised through the Tree of Lights campaign pays for drug & alcohol treatment programs, a women and children's homeless shelter, a domestic violence shelter, after school programs, senior citizen programs, and several other efforts.