The St. Joseph Salvation Army has exceeded its Red Kettle Campaign goal for the first time in half a decade.

An extra two weeks allowed the Salvation army to collected a little more than its $350,000 goal.

Capt. Chuck Cook said it was a blessing.

“We were only at 25 percent with two weeks before Christmas Eve,” said Cook. “It means that we can continue the program that we keep trying to keep afloat.”

Last year the agency failed to reach a $400,000 goal collecting only $327,132.

Cook said this time they decided to take on a more realistic goal.