Christmas campaign changes at Salvation Army as pandemic drives need

SOUTH BEND — Bell ringing has begun at some stores across Michiana as The Salvation Army moves into its critical Christmas campaign, trying to keep up with a pandemic-driven growth in the demand for help with food and financial assistance.

But officials say the number of people signing up to ring bells has dropped — including a 50% drop in Niles — as people are leery of the risks of COVID-19.

That has led to a series of key changes in how the charity is carrying out both the bell ringing but also Christmas food and gifts for 5,000 families throughout the region. Officials from nine different Salvation Army corps from across Michiana gathered Friday at the Kroc Center to tout the need for help.

“We’re nervous because we depend on this money all year,” said Major Monty Wandling of the St. Joseph County corps.

Money raised in the campaign is reserved only for direct assistance to the needy. And it’s kept within the community where it’s given.

But officials said they anticipate donations to drop 50% as there will be fewer stores with red kettles and fewer people shopping in stores, thanks to customers’ worries over COVID-19.

“Our numbers have been skyrocketing over the last year, we’re really concerned about them,” said Major Rebecca Simmons from Michigan City.

The Niles corps has had about 100 more households that will need Christmas help for a total of about 350 households, said Lt. Joseph Hixenbaugh. Throughout the year, he said, it has seen a 50% rise in demand for food, along with more need for rent and utility aid.

St. Joseph County has 1,070 households who applied for Christmas assistance. The corps began taking applications three weeks earlier this year, in early October, then continued taking applications until the end of the month.

Donors, volunteers and recipients will see changes this season.

The annual Angel Tree — providing Christmas gifts for kids ages 12 and younger — won’t be found in Mishawaka’s University Park Mall but instead at Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs across the country as part of a new national partnership with Walmart. Donors are encouraged to check out a virtual Angel Tree at mykroc.org, as Walmart allows donors to order gifts for the program directly online. An Angel Tree will also be found in the Kroc Center, as usual.

The Angel Tree will focus on collecting toys this season since, in St. Joseph County, they won’t be provided by the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots program as it has in the past. The local Toys for Tots won’t be working with outside agencies this season. On its website, it explained that it will instead distribute toys on its own to comply with “local ordinances and policies to keep our Marines and participants safe and healthy.”

Angel Tree used to solicit for clothes. Now The Salvation Army is asking local companies to help with that. Some of those companies may have helped in the past with the Adopt-A-Family program, which won’t happen this season to avoid the multiple points of contact and virus risk, public relations coordinator Wanda Dudley said.

Bell ringers will follow COVID-19 protocols. They will have their temperature taken before each shift, said Morgan Burnson, who coordinates the Christmas office in South Bend. A Salvation Army van gives most of them a ride to their bell-ringing sites, but there will be more trips as number of passengers is limited and as the van is sanitized between trips. Also, ringers will wear face masks and sanitize the kettle before and after each shift. Outside of Macy’s in Mishawaka, Burnson said, the store also requires bell ringers to wear gloves and wipe the kettle after each donation.

Each kettle site will also allow donations without physical contact via Apple Pay and Google Pay.

How to help

• Salvation Army in St. Joseph County: Donate, sign up for bell-ringing (including paid positions) or volunteer for different needs during the campaign at www.mykroc.org.

• Toys for Tots: To help this separate program based in South Bend or to apply for a Christmas toy for your child, visit a website linked in this story online.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Christmas campaign changes at Salvation Army as pandemic drives need