The Albert Lea Salvation Army came up almost $37,000 short of reaching its 2014 Christmas campaign goal.

Though the organization reached its red kettle portion of the campaign — bringing in almost $114,000 through bell-ringing donations — it came up short of its overall goal, raising $261,640 out of a $298,500 goal, said local Capt. Jim Brickson.

The Christmas campaign goal represents about 25 percent of the Albert Lea Salvation Army’s yearly income.

Brickson said though he did not reach the goal, he is grateful for the donations that were given.

“I’m just so tickled to be a part of a community that supports us so well,” he said.

The funds raised include $50,000 collected in one weekend, when a match was given by a group of anonymous donors, Vern Eide Chevrolet and the Growing Hope Foundation.

That same weekend, local Salvation Army employee Marvin Raatz completed a 12-hour bell-ringing challenge at Walmart competing against a bell-ringer in Marshalltown, Iowa. Raatz alone that day raised $1,735.

“It’s more than the change they put in the kettle,” Brickson said of the donations. “It’s more about the change they put into people’s hearts.”

He said sometimes people don’t even recognize the impact their dollars have.

All funds raised in the campaign go to help the Salvation Army provide myriad services to the community, including temporary shelter, rental and fuel assistance, a food pantry and budget counseling to help families achieve economic independence, among others.

The Salvation Army is at 302 Court St. It can be reached at 373-5710.