Holiday shoppers hear ringing of the bells each year

SOMERSET ― The Thanksgiving holiday launches one of the oldest annual charitable fundraisers of its kind in the United States, The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign.

Global icon, singer-songwriter, actor, New York Times best-selling author, businesswoman, philanthropist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dolly Parton will perform live at AT&T Stadium for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Kickoff Halftime Show during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Commanders, airing on CBS.

“Wow! What an honor to get to kick off The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign with the halftime show during the Dallas Cowboys game this Thanksgiving,” Parton said recently. “Those Red Kettles have long been a symbol of hope for our friends and neighbors who are facing hard times. My goal is to encourage everyone who can to donate and support their neighbors in need. Every small act of generosity helps, and together, we can all love our neighbors this holiday season and beyond.”

The local Somerset Salvation Army Service Center is at 334 W. Main St., Somerset, 814-445-9232. The Red Kettle Campaign helps to raise money for those who need it most in communities nationwide by providing toys for children, coats for the homeless, food for the hungry and many social service programs. The Red Kettle Campaign kicks off Black Friday and runs through Dec. 23.

Gale Purbaugh, director of Somerset Salvation Army Service Center said donations to the Red Kettle campaign can also be made virtually by texting the word “Kettle” to 31333. Donors can then reply with their ZIP code to ensure each donation goes directly back into the community where they reside. She said new this year is a virtual Red Kettle Link: https://salarmy.us/SomersetKettle, where people can also make a donation.

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"People can donate at any time, from anywhere. Especially if they cannot reach a physical kettle," Purbaugh said. "If you can't make it out to ring the bells, it's online. You enter your ZIP code. The money collected here comes here."

The Red Kettle donations in Somerset County ensure The Salvation Army can continue critical feeding programs, rent and utility assistance, seasonal assistance, youth empowerment and spiritual programs for families and individuals in the area.

"Each dollar raised stays in our community," Purbaugh said.

The Red Kettle tradition

The Salvation Army's Red Kettle debuted on Christmas 1891 in San Francisco, California, as a crab pot.

Many people were unemployed because of an economic depression. Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee in 1891, was upset because so many poor individuals were going hungry. During the holiday season, he vowed to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken.

The bell tradition began in 1900 with a teenage volunteer in New York City named Amelia Kunkel. She was frustrated by the many bankers on Wall Street who walked by and ignored her. Kunkel went to a nearby Woolworth's department store and bought a small bell for 10 cents.

Today, donations to Salvation Army kettles at Christmas time support holiday meals for homeless and needy families, but also help The Salvation Army serve 30 million people through a myriad of other services all year long.

"Organizations, individuals, service groups, high school groups have been doing the bell ringing for many years," Purbaugh said. "Grandparents take their grandkids. It's a beautiful thing to see them teaching the children about giving back to the community."

How to volunteer to ring the bells

“The Red Kettles are a symbol of hope and compassion, and the programs they support provide essential services to our neighbors in need throughout the year,” Maj. Gregory Hartshorn, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania, said. "This is the most critical time of the year for our organization. The sounds of the season will soon fill the air and registering to ring helps make a meaningful, lasting impact that will be felt well beyond the Christmas season.”

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The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania Division is seeking volunteers to ring bells.

"Volunteers are critical to the success of the campaign. Hundreds every year are needed to run our programs," Purbaugh said. "Volunteers are what make it happen. They're the backbone of the organization. We're always looking for new people."

Coordinators can request a location and available day in Somerset County by calling 814-445-9232. Locations will be at both Walmart doors and Giant Eagle on Glades Pike.

"This year we will have an indoor location at Somerset Commons for our friends from Gannister," she said. "They need an inside location. They love to volunteer. They love to help people."

Once a coordinator and group are scheduled, they give an email address to Purbaugh to obtain a signup sheet. Sign up one or two individuals for each time slot on the roster with included phone numbers. Fax the completed roster back to The Salvation Army to be hung on the back of the kettle sign.

The kettle will be set up for the group on their designated morning when they will be given bells, candy and collection kettles. The kettle will be picked up at the end of the evening.

All groups will be entered into Red Kettle Champions Competition where a trophy will be awarded at the end of the season for most donations collected. The Rotary Club of Somerset has won it for the last four years.

"Volunteers are a critical part of the success of this campaign," Purbaugh said. "Community members can call if they are interested in volunteering at 814-445-9232. Churches, service and community groups, musicians, students, individuals and families are all welcome."

She said volunteers will receive a confirmation email following registration with additional details.

"Every dollar raised through the Red Kettle Campaign remains in the community where it was given and makes it possible for The Salvation Army to deliver life-changing programs and services throughout the year," Purbaugh said.

Angel Tree Program

The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program is another of the organization’s annual traditions. Each year, children create wish lists that are shared with companies, small businesses, churches and individuals.

Across 28 counties in western Pennsylvania, gifts and toys are collected and sorted by hundreds of volunteers at various Salvation Army locations, and then given to families to put under the tree for Christmas Day.

Last season, The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania Division’s Angel Tree Program distributed more than 100,000 toys to children.

Purbaugh said the final signup for Somerset County was held in October. More than 200 children were signed up.

"It is by the grace of the community that we can get Christmas gifts for the kids," she said. "Churches, organizations and businesses call us to request children to sponsor. They support them with the Angle Tree. They'll get the gifts and needed items and get them back to us."

Another project, Christmas Coats had 178 individuals signed up this year, Purbaugh said. It was held Nov. 4. Volunteers take families shopping for needed coats, gloves, hats and boots to help them get through the cold winter months.

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"The generosity of Somerset Countians astounds me. People will do toy drives for us. Any last-minute requests we get, for instance, if somebody loses their home in a fire or needs to go to a shelter, we have groups that will do that so we have additional toys to make Christmas special for the last-minute wish list," Purbaugh said.

"I thank everyone in the community for being so supportive and being so generous with their time, support and funds. It amazes me the amount of love this community has for each other."

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset County's Red Kettle Campaign kicks off Black Friday