The Branson Salvation Army will kick-off the 2026 Red Kettle fundraising season on Friday, November 6, at the Branson Landing.
The celebration will begin with some pre-event music at 11:30 a.m. with performances by the Branson Brass Band and the Forsyth Youth Singers on Branson Landing’s Town Square. At 12 p.m. Branson Salvation Army Envoys Steve and Lisa Roberson will announce the 2026 Red Kettle goal and share the heart of The Salvation Army’s mission to the community, according to a press release from the Branson Salvation Army.
Steve Roberston said everyone is welcome to attend this event as they help launch the Christmas season with spirit, music, and a renewed call to make a difference.
“Christmas is the time of year we come into our efforts with Hope! It rallies the best in people, and especially our incredible neighbors in Branson,” Roberson said in a statement to MoArk News Now. “There’s really no other place like this community. It is our privilege to be the hands and feet of the area we love so much. We want to live up to our theme of ‘Give With Joy,’ because there’s no greater healing for our own personal challenges than to give to others. It is an incomparable blessing to respond to someone with a broken heart or broken spirit in the reciprocal care of brotherhood. I have always called it the Upside Down Kingdom, which is beyond our understanding – where pouring out fills you up because you are making room for God to be your supply. And that’s why I’m excited about the 2026 Red Kettle season in Branson.”
Roberson added, funding for The Salvation Army is down across the nation as government grants are eliminated after 40 years. As Red Kettle season begins, volunteers are at a premium as there are more opportunities for bell ringing than people to ring bells.
“With minimum wages going up and cutting into non-profit costs, and volunteerism down across the nation, we are more in need now than ever for volunteer bell ringers and people who need community service in Taney and Stone County,” Roberson said.
Volunteers can begin signing up as bell ringers immediately by calling the Roberson’s at 417-339-4434 or 417-299-2365. For additional information about the Branson Salvation Army, visit their page on Facebook.
