Due to outcries from the LGBT community, a spokesman for the Salvation Army came forward to rescue the embittered charitable organisation's image.
Salvation Army national spokesman Lt. Col. Ron Busroe has issued statements to belie rumours circulating on the Internet about the organisation being 'anti-gay'.
The post, directed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and the transgender communities; refuted some claims that the charity is not open for "other" genders. This came about as calls for boycotting the organisation swelled.
Busroe reiterated that the Christian charity, which focuses mainly on delivering salvation to those in want of physical and spiritual requirements, is actually open to all and not for a selected few. He felt that they have to do something about the false accusations.
In a separate video post, the Central Ohio Salvation Army website featured a video in defence of the charitable group and cited how they treat members of the LGBT community. Included in the nationwide messages were testimonials from LGBT employees and clients.
The recent years have been tumultuous, image-wise, as social media posts became viral.
However, kettle donations did not seem affected by the buzz. What reportedly caused the dip in donations were the shortened seasons due to the late Thanksgiving date.
Central Ohio Salvation Army community public relations director Kelli Trinoskey said what was written was totally "off-brand, off-belief and off-mission".
The message, which gave emphasis on the nondiscriminatory policies of the Salvation Army, pleased Grant Stancliff, a member of Equality Ohio, a gay-rights advocacy group. Stancliff related a story that as a child his family relied on Christmas gifts doled out by this charitable institution which is also benefitted by others in the society as a whole.