Bucyrus Salvation Army will kick off kettle campaign with 'Pretty Painted Pots'

This year, the Bucyrus Salvation Army's kettle campaign will have a new look.

Instead of the familiar, plain red kettles, a collection of 17 "Pretty Painted Pots" will make their debut at the campaign's kickoff event at 9 a.m. Friday in the lobby of Bucyrus City Hall, Majors Tom and Debbra Grace, the local commanders, said this week. Thanks to the project, a number of new volunteers have stepped forward this year.

"And it's fun," Tom Grace said. "It is absolutely fun. ... This week, watching them come in, it's just been fun. And obviously, they are very creative people and talented people here in the area. It's a way for them to express their abilities, too."

Kettles were decorated by the Altrusa Club of Bucyrus; Bucyrus Walmart; Hord Family Farms; Northern Ohio Media Group; Community Counseling and Wellness Centers; Crawford County Public Health; Woodlawn United Methodist Church; Bucyrus Health and Wellness; Job and Family Services; Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary; Together We Hurt, Together We Heal; the Crawford-Marion ADAMH Board; Bucyrus Laps Night; BrightView Bucyrus; and Colonel Crawford, Crestline and Wynford schools.

Graces first introduced program in Canton

The majors first had the idea a few years ago while they were stationed in Canton, Deb Grace said. She saw a post in a Salvation Army Facebook group about a similar program.

"We were at home one night, and I was reading. I said, 'Tom, look at this; I think we could do this,'" she said. "We kind of put our own twist on it."

The program, which they dubbed "Pretty Painted Pots," was successful during their previous posting in Canton, and other corps in the region copied it, Deb Grace said. It got people engaged, and for the Graces and their Salvation Army team, it brought some fun to the "very demanding" Christmas season.

After deciding to try the program in Bucyrus, they got the word out on social media and through the Crawford Community Council, which includes local social service agencies.

The response has been strong. In Canton — a much larger community — only 19 organizations participated, Tom Grace said.

"We had to get more buckets," Deb Grace said. "We ordered five new ones and we got five from another corps."

Kettles will compete in three categories

During Friday's campaign kickoff, the kettles be judged in three categories — most creative, most beautiful and people's choice. The first two categories will be judged by local elected officials, but the third will be judged by the amount donated into each kettle during the kickoff event Friday, Tom Grace said.

"I think one of the most significant reasons we do this is this gives us an opportunity to engage with groups and people we may not normally engage with," he said. "And it's festive."

Representatives of each group that participated will take their kettle out for one day to ring the bell and collect donations, he said, "which gives us more volunteer support."

"And brings in more money that way, too," Deb Grace added.

"We would love to have more volunteer bell-ringers — families, groups and individuals," she said.

Also during the event on Friday, the Graces will speak about the Salvation Army's efforts in the Bucyrus community this holiday season, her husband said.

This year will be 'a challenge'

"The fact of the matter is, this is going to be a challenge this year," Tom Grace said.

By Wednesday morning, more than 200 children had been registered for the Salvation Army's Christmas food and gift program, Deb Grace said — and applications will be accepted until the end of the month. Open walk-ins are 9 a.m. till noon each Monday, or parents can make an appointment to register children.

"The Salvation Army is just a purveyor of the kindness of the community," Tom Grace said. "And the only way we can do what we do is because of the support of the community. And we're a little nervous about having the ability to do everything that's going to be asked of us this year, because of the economy. It's not just hitting those struggling families; it's also hitting our donor base, too."

The Salvation Army will partner with Bucyrus United Methodist Church for this year's toy drive, instead of having two different programs, Deb Grace said. All applications and distributions will be through the Salvation Army, with assistance from church volunteers. Bucyrus UMC also will provide socks and underwear for all children in the program.

Donations made during the annual toy drive at the Bucyrus Fire Department on Dec. 10 will go to the Salvation Army for distribution.

Deb Grace said she and her husband are committed to making sure children of all ages receive gifts — including teenagers.

"It's birth through high school seniors. We don't cut off," she said. "A lot of places cut off at, like, 12; they won't do teenagers. And Tom and I, from the beginning of our career with the Salvation Army ministry, we've always served all of them. They're kids. They shouldn't have a sibling getting gifts and they don't."

The Salvation Army's Adopt-A-Family program is expanding, too, Deb Grace said. Three Angel Trees are already up in the community — at Bucyrus Walmart, LuLu's Kitchen and Holy Trinity Church. Another is planned at A-1 Printing.

"I feel like it's been a good year for us, as far as getting involved in the community, generating more community support," Deb Grace said. "But we know our numbers are higher right now than they were last year."

Not all of the donations collected during the Christmas season are used during the holidays, she said. Both food items and cash will be carried over into the new year.

"What we raise on kettles, that's not just for Christmas,." Tom Grace said. "It gets us through to be able to provide services into the new year."

Last year's kettle campaign didn't make its goal, but the Graces said they're optimistic this year will be better. This year's goal is $50,000, he said.

"If we hit that, it will take us through some of the lean summer months; donations are down during the summer," Tom Grace said. "But if we hit that $50,000, it will solidify our budget."

"To be very honest with you, I don't know where all this goes," he said. "The economy is not slowing in its decline and the fringes are going out further; people who didn't need help, or people who were on the edge but could get there, a number of them can't get there now. ... Food insecurity is on the rise. And so food is critical to our ability to serve."

ggoble@gannett.com

419-559-7263

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Bucyrus Salvation Army's kettle drive features "Pretty Painted Pots"