The Salvation Army in Butler County is campaigning to financially support its food kitchen.

The charity today is kicking off its Feeding Families Campaign with the goal of raising $50,000 for the kitchen at its facility on West Cunningham Street.

Major Irene Thibault, the commanding officer at the Salvation Army in Butler, said the campaign in needed due to financial cuts from the United Way of Butler County.

“The United Way cut our funding completely,” Thibault said. “So we need to raise those funds through our own campaign.”

The Salvation Army was to receive $13,000 from the United Way this year for the food kitchen, the same amount as last year. But the United Way cut funding to a number of its partner agencies after suffering a $180,000 shortfall in its own $1.6 million campaign this past year.

Leslie Osche, executive director for the United Way, said the Salvation Army was one of a handful of partners that had all of its funding cut.

“This was an unusual year for us,” Osche said. “We had to make cuts. It’s not something we ever want to do.”

The food kitchen serves about 750 lunches each week to people in need.

The new campaign has been jump-started with a $10,000 donation from Dick Yoder of Butler. Yoder is a retired car dealer who is a board member for the charity.

Donations can be made to the Salvation Army at www.wpa.salvationarmy.org or by mailing a check payable to the Salvation Army to 313 W. Cunningham St., P.O. Box 389, Butler, PA 16003.

Donna Fencik, the Western Pennsylvania director of fundraising for the Salvation Army, said the $50,000 campaign goal is to make up for years of declining funds from the United Way.