Salvation Army bell ringers return

SANDPOINT — Salvation Army volunteers will be bringing the bright red kettles to area grocery stores beginning Friday.

The kettle drive will run from Nov. 26 to Dec. 24.

All donations collected will stay in Bonner County. The Salvation Army not only provides assistance to emergency needs but has an annual back to school giveaway in the fall, said the drive’s Glenna Roberts of the Salvation Army.

90% of the funds collected during this year's Red Kettle Campaign will remain local to provide emergency assistance to many hurting individuals not just at Christmas, but throughout the entire year, said Roberts.

They provide shoe vouchers from Big 5, backpacks with school supplies, underwear and socks. In fall dental products were included as well thanks to donations by Anderson Dental.

Anyone interested is invited to take part as there is always a need for bell ringers, said Roberts. They still have openings at all four grocery stores. Hours are set in one hour increments from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the days are Friday and Saturday until the week before Christmas.

The week of Christmans bell ringing will be daily until Christmas Eve If interested, call Roberts at 208-263-8598.

At the closing of shift, bellringers are required to clean up the site and prepare for the next volunteer’s arrival. If the next shift does not show up or if it is the last shift, volunteers are instructed to return equipment to the designated area, and make sure the kettle is taken to a secure area for pick up, Roberts said.

Inform your coordinator of any issues at the site as soon as possible, she added.

The red kettle at Christmas all began in 1981 when Captain Joseph McFee of the Salvation Army decided to serve a free Christmas dinner to the poor in San Francisco, California. He prayed for how he would afford to provide all the food for such a large project.

He thought back to his days on the waterfront in Liverpool, England, where a popular local eatery collected cash donations for the poor in a large soup kettle called "Simpson's Pot."

McFee wasted no time in getting the largest soup kettle he could find and placing it in a conspicuous spot on the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Passengers going to and from the ferry boats tossed their loose change into the kettle and before long McFee had enough funds to pay for the Christmas dinner.

Thus began a Christmas tradition which has spread throughout the world and continues to this day.