Everyone recognizes the bright red kettles and volunteers ringing bells during the Salvation Army’s Christmas campaign. Here’s a look at some of the less noticeable aspects of the annual holiday tradition.
Best days to collect
Linda Witt, married to Witt’s Piggly Wiggly co-owner Tom Witt, has run the Salvation Army campaign at the grocery store for the past 10 years and knows just when to set up the kettle for a new season.
“I always try to get it out right before hunting season, because the guys who come in and are going hunting are always in a good mood. They like to put money in,” she said.
Bell-ringer Vern Mortier, 83, who estimates he’ll spend 40 hours ringing bells this holiday season, said the days leading up to Christmas are the must lucrative.
Anything besides money?
Every holiday season, the Salvation Army reports people drop rare coins, jewelry or other valuables in the kettle. Witt said the only unusual thing collected in Oconto Falls caused the staff at Witt’s to conjure up images of illicit drugs, but their imaginations didn’t match reality. It was only an ibuprofen.
Give and take
People who donate to the red kettle often receive a little something in return, like a candy cane or a Hershey’s Kiss. Mortier likes to bake, so in the morning before his 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift, he’ll make a couple of batches of cut-out cookies and hand them out when people drop something in the bucket. By midday, he’s usually out of cookies.
Ring or sing
People are more likely to donate if someone is at the red kettle, ringing the bell, Witt said. Some people who volunteer like to sing Christmas carols or wear silly holiday hats. The Piggly Wiggly has reindeer antlers to loan to volunteers.
Mortier doesn’t go for anything fancy.
“I don’t ring the bell very much because it drives me nuts,” he said. “For four hours, your arm gets pretty sore.”
Community service
Anyone can volunteer as a bell ringer, and students in need of community service hours are encouraged to sign up.
“We could use more bell ringers. That would really help,” Witt said.
She plans to leave the kettle out until New Year’s Day, so there’s still time to volunteer.
“Anybody can ring a bell, from little on. They’re out there ringing and enjoying doing it,” said the Salvation Army’s Jill Lemkuil, who coordinates the kettle campaign for 10 northern Wisconsin counties.
If people see the kettle unattended, they’re invited to start ringing.
“It’s very easy to do and goes for a good cause,” Witt said.
Big kettle, little kettle
Besides the kettle at Witt’s Piggly Wiggly, smaller buckets are located in the city at Oconto Falls Pharmacy, N.E.W. Credit Union, BP, Radio Shack and Corki’s Cup of Joy.
“Every little bit counts,” Witt said.
The campaign typically raises $3,000 to $3,500 each year in Oconto Falls. Along with the coins and paper money, individuals are invited to drop checks into the bucket. If they write “Oconto County” on the memo line, the donation will stay local.
Witt, who is the store’s bookkeeper, and other Piggly Wiggly staff members count the money collected in the kettles. Witt said they unroll all the crunched and folded paper bills, flatten them, stack them up and place them under weights to smooth them out.
Where does the money go?
According to Lemkuil, 86 percent of the money collected goes to the needy in the county, most often in vouchers for rent and utility assistance. For the past five years, Oconto County has run short of money to fill demand, Lemkuil said.
“I can’t stress enough that the money raised in Oconto County stays in Oconto County,” Witt said.
The other 14 percent goes to state programs such as the Salvation Army alcohol treatment center in Milwaukee, a summer camp in East Troy and a Wisconsin State Trooper program that provides money to stranded motorists.
Testimonials
People love to share their stories of how the Salvation Army has helped them, Mortier said. He told a story about his father, August, who was headed to the front on a troop train in World War I when the armistice was signed. August Mortier said the Salvation Army was making pies to give away to the soldiers and told his son, “If you want to give anything, give to the Salvation Army.”
Mortier also heard from a man who lost his billfold in California, and the Salvation Army provided him with money to make it home.
Lemkuil said the needs are varied for today’s recipients.
“We can help with almost anything. It just depends on the situation,” she said.
In 2014, the organization responded to a need for energy assistance when people couldn’t afford propane, which jumped to $7 a gallon in northern counties.
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