Salvation Army Bell Ringers Needed

WAUSAU, Wis. (WXCO) – Tis’ the season to hear the sounds of bells ringing outside of your favorite stores across the area, volunteer this holiday season.

From dropping cash into the bucket to app donations now, every penny that goes into that kettle goes back to those in need.

But the Salvation Army says they need more people to volunteer to ring the bells this holiday season.

Visit here to register and sign up for a slot.

You can register to ring alone, in a group or virtually!

They’ll be out collecting donations until 2 PM on Christmas Eve.

You can also help with other things like serving lunch to shelter families.

HISTORY OF THE RED KETTLE:

In 1891, 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. He only had one major hurdle to overcome, funding the project.

Where would the money come from, he wondered. He lay awake nights, worrying, thinking, praying about how he could find the funds to fulfill his commitment of feeding 1,000 of the city’s poorest individuals on Christmas Day. As he pondered the issue, his thoughts drifted back to his sailor 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.

The next day Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had the money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas.