It’s that time of year!
The holiday season is in full swing!
Entertaining, baking, decorating, shopping…we love it all! And just as synonymous with the holidays as
candy canes and Christmas carols, there is the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle
Campaign. I’m sure that on one of your trips to the shopping mall, you’ve seen a red kettle
stationed outside the door. Hopefully
you’ve been able to drop in some change or a few dollars to help those in need,
given a smile to the frozen, red-nosed volunteer who is cheerfully ringing
their bell and been on your merry way. But
this year, we’ve all been given the chance to do just a little more!
Your local Salvation Army is looking for volunteers to man their
red kettles during the 2012 campaign which kicked off the week before
Thanksgiving and runs through December 24th. Now in its 122nd year, this campaign has an
incredible, grassroots history. In 1891,
Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor
individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he
resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and
poverty-stricken. He only had one major hurdle to overcome -- funding the
project. He remembered his days as a
sailor in Liverpool, England and at Stage Landing where the boats came in,
there was a large, iron kettle called "Simpson's Pot" into which
passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor. The next day Captain McFee placed a similar
pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot,
he placed a sign that read, "Keep the Pot Boiling." He soon had the
money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas. Today in the U.S., The Salvation Army assists
more than four-and-a-half million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas
time periods. Captain McFee's kettle
idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States,
but all across the world. Kettles are now used in such distant lands as Korea,
Japan, Chile and many European countries. Everywhere, public contributions to
Salvation Army kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round
efforts at helping those who would otherwise be forgotten.
When I heard about this opportunity, we were eager to
volunteer. Not only to be a part of the
rich history of such a worthy organization but two hours at the mall with my
husband and toddler sounded like a great date night to me! From beginning to end, it was one of the
easiest, most enjoyable volunteer experiences we’ve had.
Step 1: Call your local Salvation Army to sign up. The
Salvation Army’s website (www.salvationarmyusa.org) can help you find the location closest to you. We
called the West Chester Corps (610-696-8746) where Donna Copeland, Program
Director, was happy to help assign us a shift.
With four red kettle locations in Exton and two in West Chester, it was easy
to find a date and time that worked with our schedule.
Step 2: Show up for your shift. We even received a phone call that morning to
confirm our time slot. We arrived a few
minutes before we were scheduled to begin, met the friendly volunteer working
before us (who volunteers 12 hours a day, all 31 days of the campaign…now that’s
dedication!) to hand off the bell, apron
and candy canes.
Step 3: Ring the
bell. We chose to work at the Exton
Mall Food Court which was a very family-friendly place to be. Jack had so much fun entertaining the crowd
as he rang the bell and danced around.
And when it was toddler break-time, my husband and I took turns keeping
watch of the kettle. The two hours went
by in a flash. We worked the last slot
of the day which made me a little nervous because we had to make sure the kettle
was picked up by the staff before we could go home. But right on time, an official Salvation Army
van pulled up and in swat team fashion, the staff members jumped out and
quickly broke down our station and we were ready to head home.
And now for the question you’ve been wanting to ask the
entire time you’ve been reading our blog (and the question almost every single
person we met during our bell ringing experience asked us)…weren’t we
cold?!?! Of course! It’s winter in PA! And we just happened to choose an evening
shift over the Thanksgiving weekend where the high temperature that day was a
balmy 40 degrees. But being outside for
our short two hours made me think about the over half a million homeless people
in the United States who are living in the cold this time of year. And why it’s so important to help
organizations like the Salvation Army, especially during the holidays, who are
providing things such as shelter, food and the basic needs that so many of us
can easily take for granted. So just
bundle up, keep a hot beverage of choice in hand and enjoy the warm and fuzzy
feeling you’ll get knowing you’re helping provide comfort and hope to those in
need.
(Red Kettle Campaign history provided by the Salvation Army’s
website www.salvationarmyusa.org)
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