Eric Church Kicks Off The 126th Red Kettle Campaign And Celebrates 20-Year Partnership With Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army celebrate over $2 billion raised

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Nov 24, 2016, 07:30 ET

ARLINGTON, Texas, Nov. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven-time GRAMMY nominee Eric Church is taking the stage today at AT&T Stadium to kick off The Salvation Army's 126th annual Red Kettle Campaign with a LIVE nationally televised halftime performance during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game on FOX against the Washington Redskins. This is the twentieth performance resulting from the Red Kettle Kickoff partnership between the Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army. Since the partnership began in 1997, The Salvation Army has raised over $2 billion in red kettles nationwide.

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The campaign will officially kickoff with Church's LIVE halftime performance and the inaugural Red Kettle donation from the Jones family, owners of the Dallas Cowboys. Since teaming up in 1997, The Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys have collaborated to raise more than $2 billion for the Red Kettle campaign, which provides America's most vulnerable with food, shelter and other support throughout the year. Church will join a star-studded list of past performers: Luke Bryan, Selena Gomez, Kenny Chesney, Enrique Iglesias, Keith Urban, Daughtry, Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Destiny's Child, Toby Keith, LeAnn Rimes, Creed, Jessica Simpson, Billy Gilman, Clint Black, Randy Travis and Reba McEntire.

"Over the last 20 years, we've had the opportunity to welcome world-renowned musical acts to our stadium to celebrate the great work of The Salvation Army and kick off the holiday season," said Charlotte Jones Anderson, executive vice president and chief brand officer for the Dallas Cowboys and former national advisory chairperson for The Salvation Army. "The Salvation Army is a fixture in our family's life, as well as our team, and we look forward to 20 more years and many more millions raised in the kettles."

"What the Jones family and the Dallas Cowboys have done over the last 20 years has brought such a bright, creative spark to our Red Kettle Campaign," said Lt. Col. Ron Busroe, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army. "We're excited to see Eric Church's performance and continue to see our partnership with the Cowboys flourish."

Red Kettle Kickoff is just the beginning of an exciting holiday season for The Salvation Army. New this year, The Salvation Army is calling on Americans to start their own #RedKettleReason fundraisers, as well as offering the opportunity to designate their contributions to programs that fight hunger, provide shelter or ensure Christmas assistance for those in need. There are many other ways to get involved this year:

Cricket Wireless: For every "like" on a participating Cricket Wireless retail store's Facebook page through December 4, Cricket will donate $1 – up to $50,000 that will go toward the purchase of toys for The Salvation Army.
Dallas Cowboys: Customers will have the option to add a donation to The Salvation Army through the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, both in-store and online.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group: Between November 1 and December 31, the company will donate a portion of sales to The Salvation Army for every specially marked 7UP, CANADA DRY and SQUIRT 2-liter bottle, 20 oz. bottle and 12-pack sold.
Giving Tuesday: November 29, 2016, is Giving Tuesday, a day of charitable giving during the holiday season. The Salvation Army is encouraging supporters to donate during a series of appearances on national and syndicated news and talk shows.
Hanes: As part of its annual sock drive, Hanes is donating 200,000 pairs of socks to The Salvation Army. Over the last eight years, the company has donated more than 1.5 million pairs of socks to the homeless.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts: From December 1 through December 24, participating Krispy Kreme shops in the U.S. and Canada will support the Red Kettle Campaign by encouraging guests to donate to an in-shop Red Kettle. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts will also donate a percentage of sales from Monday, December 19, to The Salvation Army.
sweetFrog premium frozen yogurt: Starting today through Christmas Eve, visitors to participating sweetFrog stores will have the opportunity to donate to The Salvation Army at registers.
Text-to-Give: For the mobile donor, it's easy to give any amount by texting the word "KETTLES" to 51555 and replying "YES."
UPS: Every time a Wishes Delivered story is shared on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter through December 31, 2016, UPS will donate $1 to The Salvation Army.
Volunteer: For more ways to volunteer and give back, visit salvationarmyusa.org to find a local corps.
Walmart "Fill the Truck" Toy Drive: From November 25 through December 11, participating Walmart stores across the country will collect toys and coats for children this holiday.

Supporters can also donate to the more than 25,000 Red Kettles stationed outside storefronts like Macy's, JCPenney, Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, Boscov's, Walgreens, Kroger, Walmart, Sam's Club, Shopko, Bass Pro Shops and participating Macerich shopping centers.

From its humble beginnings as a program started by a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States. It provides toys for kids, coats for the homeless, food for the hungry and countless social service programs year-round. As part of the campaign, more than 25,000 Salvation Army red kettles are stationed outside storefronts across the country.

About Eric Church

The three-time Country Music Association and five-time Academy of Country Music Award winner cemented his reputation as a maverick by releasing his 2015 album Mr. Misunderstood as a surprise, delivering it to fans before announcing its existence and putting it on sale. He is rising toward the peak of the country charts with "Record Year," the second single, which Rolling Stone dubbed "the most moving moment" on the widely lauded album.

Church announced his 60+ city 2017 Holdin' My Own Tour via Facebook Live at a two-night show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo. The tour, that kicks off in Lincoln, Neb. and ends with a two-night run in Nashville, Tenn., will feature two sets from Church sans openers.

The man New York Times said produces songs that insist music is "fuel for love, for anguish and, naturally, for other music" earned the 2016 CMA Album of the Year Award for Mr. Misunderstood and the 2016 ACM Music Video of the Year Award for the album's first title-track single.

The North Carolina native's previous album, The Outsiders, debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and Top Country Albums Chart with the highest debut and sales of any release in the format that year, making Church 2014's top-selling country music artist. The album garnered GRAMMY, CMA and ACM Album of the Year nominations and featured his No. 1 hits "Give Me Back My Hometown" and "Talladega," as well as multiple nominee "Like A Wrecking Ball." The Outsiders was the follow-up to Church's 3x Platinum-certified CHIEF, named the 2012 Album of the Year by both CMA and ACM, and GRAMMY-nominated for Best Country Album. The LP featured five Top 20 singles: "Homeboy" (certified Platinum for sales in excess of one million); the Top 10 "Like Jesus Does" and the Top 5 "Creepin'" (both certified Platinum); and two No. 1 hits "Drink in My Hand" (certified Platinum) and "Springsteen" (certified Double Platinum for sales in excess of 2 million singles). Church's sophomore album, Carolina, (2009) is RIAA Platinum certified and his 2006 debut album, Sinners Like Me is RIAA Gold certified.

About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 135 years in the U.S. More than 25 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services including food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, and opportunities for underprivileged children. For every dollar donated to The Salvation Army, 82 cents is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. The Salvation Army tracks the level of need across the country with the Human Needs Index (HumanNeedsIndex.org). For more information, see SalvationArmyUSA.org or on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS.

About Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation
In the area of community service, the Dallas Cowboys' and Jones Family Foundation's mission is built upon an overall philosophy of helping those who do not have the strength, the resources or the means to help themselves. Recognized as one of the world's most generous families, the Jerry Jones family enlists the talents, skills and resources of all Cowboys players, coaches, cheerleaders and every member of the organization to provide a unique and cutting-edge approach to community outreach. More information about the Dallas Cowboys and the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation is available at dallascowboys.com.

For more information about The Salvation Army and Red Kettle Kickoff, please visit blog.salvationarmyusa.org, facebook.com/SalvationArmyUSA or twitter.com/salvationarmyus.

SOURCE The Salvation Army