With the Christmas season quickly approaching, the Salvation Army’s annual red kettle campaign needs more local support. The easiest way to help from now through Christmas Eve is to ring a bell at one of the iconic red kettles. Volunteer bell ringers are the difference between an empty kettle and one that raises the funds that sustain the help the Salvation Army gives all year long.
Bell ringers are needed in Door County for the Campaign. The Salvation Army seeks volunteers for late November through Christmas Eve to work two-hour shifts at various locations, including Sturgeon Bay, Egg Harbor, Baileys Harbor, Sister Bay, and Ellison Bay. Nancy Kexel-Calabrese has for years (over 20) donated her time and effort in the spirit of giving and says that there is more help needed.
The Salvation Army's bell-ringing tradition began in 1900 when a 16-year-old volunteer, Amelia Kunkel, bought a brass bell to get people's attention for her donation kettle. This action, originating from her frustration that people were ignoring her kettle on Wall Street, became the start of the now iconic Red Kettle campaign, which was first introduced in San Francisco in 1891 to fund Christmas dinners. The tradition of ringing a bell at a red kettle continues today as a way to raise funds for those in need, with the bells helping to draw in donations.
The Salvation Army relies on money raised in red kettles to serve more than 25 million people in need each year. You can sign up by contacting Nancy Kexel-Calabresa at (920.883.7886) or nakc1@icloud.com or by signing up on their website.
