Target to give $1 million to Salvation Army, but still no ringers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ Target Corp. is slipping $1 million into The Salvation Army's kettle, but it still won't allow the familiar holiday bell-ringers in front of its stores. <br/><br/>This will be

Wednesday, November 15th 2006, 3:06 pm

By: News On 6

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ Target Corp. is slipping $1 million into The Salvation Army's kettle, but it still won't allow the familiar holiday bell-ringers in front of its stores.

This will be the third year that Target has banned the bell-ringers from its stores. But Salvation Army spokeswoman Melissa Temme said other changes could make up much of the $9 million the charity used to raise each year in front of Target stores.

Besides the cash donation, Target will donate the profits from a $9.99 Salvation Army ornament that is hitting store shelves this week, Temme said. It will also put a link on its Web site to accept Salvation Army donations.

``We expect it to be successful. We don't know what to expect as far as the ultimate monetary gain,'' Temme said. ``But we know that this will enable us to help more people simply because we'll be bringing in more money.''

Target said it has ``a long-standing relationship that includes providing financial resources for disaster relief, as well as supporting local chapters through grant and volunteer programs.''

Target stopped allowing Salvation Army bell-ringers in 2004 to make its policy against fundraising at its stores consistent. It also wanted to spare shoppers the potential discomfort of being asked for donations.