Salvation Army volunteers prepare to ring in Christmas season

For Kathy Cook, the winter holidays present a time for letting the season ring, both in metaphor and quite literally. In the lead-up to Christmas over the past four years, Holyoke residents have found her outside buildings with a red bell and Salvation Army bucket, accompanied by the familiar da-ding, da-ding, da-ding of a volunteer requesting donations.

The Department of Human Services in Phillips County, case manager Tiffany Watson said, began participating in the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign in 2018. That year, she continued, Region 8 funds for local people in need from the department’s Denver office had run dry.

“They said, ‘If you want to have more funds,’” she explained, “‘you need to do something on your end.’”

The department raised about $2,300 their first year, followed by a drop to an estimated $1,400 in 2019, then $1,650 in 2020 and $1,350 in 2021. While there isn’t a set monetary goal, Watson said, she hopes the 2022 tally moves closer to $2,300 than $1,350.

The main problem in raising funds, Watson said, stems from a lack of volunteers. If a time slot to ring isn’t filled, it becomes an hour or more when no one donates.

At times, Cook said, she has trouble scheduling a period when she and her former co-worker can go out and ring. When they do, however – and her former co-worker brings the grandchildren – all of them sing Christmas carols, and they get to see “ the joy of people giving.” Those who pass by and donate, she added, receive the blessing of song.

“Go out, have fun,” Cook said. “If it’s cold, dress warm.”

The Red Kettle campaign began Tuesday evening at the Haxtun C-Mart. It is set to continue until Dec. 23, ending that evening at the Holyoke Marketplace. At press time, 48 slots are open for potential bell ringers on the campaign’s SignUpGenius page.

To volunteer, go online to www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0c45aaae2ca7f58-bell1.