Belk has given Salvation Army bell-ringers and their iconic red kettles the heave-ho --- just in time for the Christmas season.

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The national department store chain will no longer allow Salvation Army volunteers to man kettles outside their stores -- a move that is expected to result in a $1 million drop in donations.

"It's a huge impact for us," Salvation Army Lt. Rob Dolby told the Todd Starnes Show. "Those funds go to operate Christmas programs serving tens of thousands of kids.

Dolby works with the Salvation Army in Anderson, South Carolina. He said the money dropped into those kettles also funds the operation of shelters, addiction and treatment facilities and youth programs.

The Salvation Army said they were told the department store ban had something to do with a change in Belk's "social consciousness."

The Salvation Army said they were told the department store ban had something to do with a change in Belk's "social consciousness."

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