VW Salvation Army seeking bell ringers

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Red Kettle fundraising campaign is the financial mainstay for the charitable efforts of the Salvation Army, but this year’s campaign is languishing for lack of volunteer bell ringers, according to Lieutenant Josh Brookman.

As of Monday, this year’s campaign has raised approximately $24,500. That’s down $5,500 from this time in last year, and leaves approximately $41,000 yet to raise in the next week and a half to meet this year’s Red Kettle goal of $65,000.

The problem is a lack of bell ringers, Lt. Brookman said. While collections have been about normal at the two Walmart locations, those have been the only two locations that have had enough bell ringers to maintain a full schedule for the campaign.

“It’s our best stand, but it can’t raise all of the money needed for the campaign,” Brookman said.

The other four campaign stations have had only sporadic coverage this year, and that limited coverage is the reason donations are down, he added.

Brookman said that, while the improving economy has added jobs in the area, it has made it harder to get even paid workers to ring bells at the Salvation Army’s six stations: Walmart (2), Rural King, Sav-A-Lot, Big Lots, and Chief Supermarket. In the past, the organization has hired a few workers to maintain full coverage of all Red Kettle stands. Although that’s not an ideal situation, since the money needed to pay workers decreases the amount of money available to help needy people, even getting paid workers has been tough this year.

“In the past, we’ve gotten plenty of workers, but this year getting workers has been a problem,” the lieutenant said. “People don’t want a job ringing bells if they can get a job somewhere else.”

And now it’s too late to even get more paid workers, Brookman added, because the campaign would nearly be over by the time paperwork was completed to get workers on the job.

The real problem, he said, is not the money, but the people in need that it represents. While the economy has improved, there are still a significant number of county residents who are hurting and in need.

“The dollars don’t really matter,” Lt. Brookman said. “It’s the impact of the dollars on the community.”

With this year being the first that he has been in charge of the Red Kettle campaign, the lieutenant said it has been a stressful campaign for him personally.

“We see the dollar amounts, but I also see the families that are attached to those dollar amounts,” he said, although he noted that other Salvation Army offices are also experiencing a shortage of workers.

Last year, the Salvation Army provided assistance to approximately 10 percent of county residents (2,727), and 18.4 percent of Van Wert residents — nearly 2,000 people, or 1 in 5 of those who live in the city.

With the Red Kettle campaign the Salvation Army’s biggest fundraiser, Lt. Brookman said he is concerned about how the organization will fund such worthwhile programs as its feeding program, clothing vouchers, and other important individual assistance programs if the Red Kettle program doesn’t meet its goal.

The lieutenant stressed that all of the donations received stay in the community to provide help to needy local families and individuals.

Those who can volunteer to man one of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle stands from now until December 24 can call Brookman at 419.910.9932 or email him at Joshua.brookman@use.salvationarmy.org. Hours of the stands is 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. at Walmart and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at the other four locations. While two-hour shifts are typical, the lieutenant said he would be happy to find workers for just an hour at any of the locations.

In addition to volunteers, those who want to help meet the local goal by donating online can do so at https://give.salvationarmyusa.org/team/197148.

The Salvation Army is a United Way agency.