Salvation Army still looking for volunteers
Throughout the year, and especially during the Christmas season, the Salvation Army of Greene County helps hundreds of families. Now, however, it is the Salvation Army who is in need of help.
“We’re still looking for volunteers to stand and ring bells for our Red Kettle Campaign,” said Sister Audrey Quinn, director of the Salvation Army Greene County Service Center. “The problem with most volunteers is that it’s very hard on them – they’re required to stand outside in the cold for long periods of time.”
According to the Salvation Army’s website, the Red Kettle campaign started in 1891, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken.
As he was trying to figure out how to fund his campaign, McFee thought back to his days in Liverpool, England. He remembered how at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor. McFee decided to take this idea and use it for his campaign.
Six years later, the kettle idea spread from the west coast to the Boston area, and continues to be used today.
“This year, we’ll have volunteers standing at kettles in Waynesburg, Jefferson and Carmichaels,” Quinn said. “You can never have enough volunteers – we’re always looking for more.”
That’s not the only thing that the volunteers help the Salvation Army with, Quinn said.
“Some volunteers work at our donation warehouse – where anyone can bring in unwanted clothes at any time. They accept the donations, sort them out and hang them up,” she said. “We also have them answering phones occasionally.”
Quinn said that the red kettles aren’t the only way that the Salvation Army accepts donations. Donors can come into the Greene County Service Center at any time and drop off a donation check. Last year, through the generosity of Greene County, the Salvation Army made around $27,000 from the Red Kettle Campaign alone, Quinn said.
“Using that money and some of the money we raised from our other fund-raising campaigns that we hold year round, we spent around $28,000 to help families in need,” she said.
Quinn said that each of those families met certain qualifications that enabled the Salvation Army to offer them aid.
“They have to meet the requirements set forth by the Poverty Guidelines and they have to live in Greene County,” Quinn said.
Along with the Red Kettle Campaign, the Salvation Army also runs several other campaigns during the Christmas season, Quinn explained.
“One of the other campaigns that we run is the Treasures for Children campaign,” she said. “This program allows anyone to play Santa Claus for children ages zero to 12. Treasures tags are placed at local businesses and churches with a child’s name and wish list for Christmas. People can go out and purchase toys and clothes for that child to be distributed by the Salvation Army.”
Anyone who is interested in volunteering with the Salvation Army in Greene County should contact Quinn at 724-852-1479.