Heeding the ring for kettle donations

It almost wouldn't seem like Christmastime without the familiar jingling of a bell and red bucket outside area grocery and department stores.

As shoppers walk past - some responding by tossing in some spare change or a wad of bills and others rushing past without a glance - bell ringers smile and try to catch one's attention with a cheery "Hello" or by opening a door.

The Salvation Army bell ringer has its roots near San Francisco, where, in 1891, Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee put out the first bucket - actually, then it was a large black cooking pot - to collect donations at an Oakland ferry dock, to pay for a holiday meal for poor people.

McFee's collection method was successful and later morphed into a national Christmas kettle donation program.

Within six years of McFee's original endeavor, Christmas kettle donations provided The Salvation Army with enough money to provide holiday meals for more than 100,000 people.

In 2007, the organization reported $118 million raised through Christmas donations.



How is the money put to work?

Money raised locally not only pays for local holiday meals and Christmas baskets, but helps The Salvation Army provide meals and other services throughout the year, said Maj. Tom McDowell, who together with his wife, Maj. Julie McDowell, heads the Peoria Salvation Army Citadel, a church and social service community center.

Although there's not a specific goal for how much the local branch of the organization needs to raise through the Christmas kettle efforts, the amount that comes in as donations decides how much help is available for needy families and individuals, Maj. Tom McDowell said.

"Our allocation budget is dependent on how much we raise. That kind of gives us an incentive to work hard," he said.

This year, despite economic hardships - or possibly because of them - local folks are reaching deep into their wallets and pocketbooks to help out, he said, adding that the first two days of bell ringing - Friday and Saturday - were "very good."

"There's no indication we're going to have low donations this year, but, we'll have to wait and see how it goes in the coming weeks," he said.



They sing, they dance, and they move around to keep warm. But, every bell ringer is unique. Even the jingling of the bell is an indication of the character of the bell ringer.



Simon Caldwell, 59, of Peoria, has been ringing a bell for The Salvation Army outside a door of Peoria's Wal-Mart Supercent on Allen Road for the past three Christmas seasons. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, Caldwell is there using the bell as an instrument to jingle a tune.

"Sometimes I still hear the bell in my sleep when I go home," he jokes.

Sometimes, as he's standing by the bucket ringing his bell, he sings along.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way," his deep baritone voice catches the attention of a passerby, who smiles and drop in some change.

Caldwell also carries a second bell, which he loans to youths who want to play along.

"There are a lot of things you have to do as a bell ringer," Caldwell says. "You've got to keep warm, and you've got to keep your legs moving. But, above all, you've got to smile and you've got to keep happy."



Peorian Pam Vogel, 53, has no problem keeping happy as she smiles, shivers slightly, and stands next to her red bucket outside the Sterling Avenue Kroger store.

This is the ninth year Vogel has worked as a bell ringer. She keeps a small stool next to the kettle stand, so she can rest sometimes, since she has bad knees.

"I love doing this," she says, as she rings the bell in a steady beat.

She's a paid kettle worker, and though she and her family can use the money, she doesn't brave the cold just for the money, she says. "Money isn't everything. I do it for the kids, who need toys or food at Christmas. I love what this bucket provides."

Vogel knows first-hand how the donations help a family. When she was a child, one of eight siblings, her mom received a Salvation Army Christmas basket to help provide for them during some tough times. "My mom couldn't afford anything for us kids, but we got a basket and The Salvation Army did a lot for us. I know what this bucket does and I love ringing this bell."



A short distance down the street, at the Sterling Avenue Big Lots store, Vogel's husband, Tom Vogel, also rings a bell for The Salvation Army.

Tom Vogel, 58, has been blind since shortly after his birth, but he doesn't let his disability keep him from enjoying the holiday spirit and helping others in need.

"Ringing a bell gives me something to do during the day and I enjoy doing it. This helps me, and it helps The Salvation Army," he says.

"I just stand here and do my best. I say, 'Thank you and the Lord bless you,' and 'Happy holidays.' I'm happy to be here and glad I can help."



Hertisteen Barnett, 45, of Peoria doesn't mind admitting she does more than sing as she rings the bell at her Allen Road Wal-Mart Christmas kettle location.

"I play different songs with the bell. Sometimes it's Christmas songs, whatever I feel like, and sometimes I get to moving around a bit and do a little dance," she says, with a laugh.

This is Barnett's second season as a bell ringer.

"I love it out here. All the people are enjoying themselves and so am I," she says. "Times are hard, but people are giving freely from their hearts. They'd give more if they had more to give, I'm sure, but I know how it is.

"I'm not a volunteer, but I'd volunteer if I could. Sometimes, you just get in a situation where you have to be paid. But, I'm here because I want to be. Because I'm doing some good."



Linda Currie, 41, of Peoria has been ringing a bell for The Salvation Army for the past four years. She doesn't have a regular kettle location, which is good, she says, since that means she gets to visit more locations. "Some of these places I've never been before. I get to ring in Washington, or Peoria, or here in East Peoria, it's all new, it's all fun," she says.

She was enjoying herself outside the East Peoria Kroger's on Monday afternoon, ringing the bell a little and smiling a lot.

"What I love about this, besides that it's for a good cause, is the people I meet. I get to go to different places to ring every day and I meet so many people," she says.

Currie is a people person. "I love to talk and I love to meet people. People are so nice," she says.

Despite the cold weather she often has to endure on the job, the worst part about being a bell ringer is the people - few and far between - who ignore her, she says. "I know not everybody can donate, and sometimes people are busy or distracted, but it really hurts my feelings when I say 'Hello' and they don't talk back. But, I bless them anyway, and I wish them a good day."