Today, I had the honor of being a bell ringer for a Salvation Army kettle.
A local radio station is doing a huge fundraiser for the weekend. Another website I am involved with has partnered with the Salvation Army and were collecting all day on the circle (downtown).
I only volunteered for an hour. There were 2-3 of us for that hour. 1 mom had brought her kids to help as well. We stood on the street and collected from passing cars (thankfully, really slow traffic made that easy). We stood on the sidewalk and took donations from passers-by.
Teagan and I collected up spare change and single bills we found around the house and I donated that when I got there.
It was an interesting experience. Beat up and run down cars would stop and give. Families that looked like they "couldn't afford" to spare the change were most frequently the ones donating.
What really struck me were the people who couldn't even look at us. Who went out of their way to get busy with something in their vehicle so they wouldn't have to look at us. Not a smile or a greeting... it left me feeling like there was something wrong with me.
I am committing myself to making certain I have some spare change at all times this holiday season. Every kettle I encounter will receive some change and the person ringing the bell will receive a smile and a greeting.
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I am a huge fan of the Salvation Army. I was their local Christmas Chair about 6 years ago, and at that time I found out what a really great organization they are! They are truly doing God's work. Good for you for helping in such a public way.
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