The Salvation Army Caption in San Francisco wanted to find a way to provide the area's poor with a free Christmas dinner in 1891, but he couldn't figure out how to fund his project.
The Captain thought back to his life as a sailor in England and remembered a certain dock where people dropped money into a kettle for charity. This idea has blossomed into a seasonal tradition, with the first real Salvation Army red kettle appearing in 1946, Major Douglas Rick, commanding officer of the Salvation Army of Delaware County, said.
"Everyone knows the holiday season has started because the red kettles are out and the bells are ringing," Rick said.
The Salvation Army is an organization that helps members of the community who need things such as money to pay rent and bills, food and Christmas toys to give to children, Rick said. The group also helps with disaster relief efforts and sends children to summer camps who otherwise would not be able to have that experience, he added.
But helping people with such a wide variety of needs can become costly and that is where the Salvation Army bell ringers come in.
"The Christmas season is the biggest fund-raiser for the year," Rick said. "We try to limit it to this time of year instead of having a monthly appeal." Volunteers stand by a Salvation Army kettle at different locations throughout Muncie and ring bells in the hopes that passersby will drop some money in the pot.
"We get a great response from Ball State university students and the churches of Muncie," Rick said.
Jill Roberts, service and philanthropy chair for Kappa Alpha Theta, saw bell ringing as a great way for her sorority to get in some of their required volunteer hours.
"We've done it in the past and it's an easy way to get involved [with the community]," Roberts said. Roberts and her sorority sisters had to complete volunteer forms and include what times they are available to ring bells and which of the 21 kettle locations they preferred.
The Salvation Army has a large board with all their kettle locations and available volunteer times and matches the volunteers with what they have. Kappa Alpha Theta gave 30-40 hours of volunteer time to the Salvation Army, Roberts said.
"They didn't have a lot of volunteers because we called before they started so we got to pick but now it's getting closer to Christmas and they are getting more full.
The money collected from bell ringing is used all year and goes out to Delaware County residents who have filled out an application with the Salvation Army. The organization verifies the person's information and uses an income guideline to determine need.
The Salvation Army serves as a central command for other agencies in the area by giving them information on those who have applied with the Salvation Army so they can get more help from place that can better serve them, Rick said.
"Everyone that's done it had a fun time," she said. "We had a girl dancing and singing jingle bell rock and people get excited and put money in [the kettle]. It's really cute to see the little kids and they're real excited to put in their change."
Some of the sorority sisters liked the experience so much that they are trying to find more volunteer times to ring bells again, even though they have met their community service requirements for the chapter, Roberts said.
"They didn't have a lot of volunteers because we called before they started so we got to pick," Roberts said. "Now it's getting closer to Christmas and it gets more full."
As full as the schedule may seem, Rick said they always need more volunteers. If there is an empty kettle somewhere it means they didn't have any volunteers to fill the spot, he said. Sometimes they have to pay someone to ring the bell, but even they paid bell ringers are being helped by the organization because they are people who have applied for assistance.
"My goal is to have total volunteers so we have more money to help people," Rick said.
The kettle campaign began Nov. 16 and will run until Dec. 24. Volunteers are need from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. but the hours are expanded as it gets closer to Christmas because stores expand their hours, Rick said.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering with the Salvation Army can call them at 289-7924 or stop by their building on Wheeling Avenue.
if you want to help
The red cross is collecting gift certificates to hand out to military families that are local in delaware county. The families of people who have husbands or wives in the national guard are struggling the most. "The have regular day jobs they had to leave to be activated so they're income is slashed in half so that leaves the wives struggling," Julie Hankins director of emergency services. They will accept gift certificates through Dec. 20. There's about 100 families in Muncie and they will divide the certificates evenly among them. Contact the red cross at765-284-3361 if you want to donate.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
