Answering the bell

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This article was published 15/12/2023 (1042 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Smile, be friendly and go soft on the bells.”

With those words, Kristin Marand, who co-ordinates marketing and communications for the Salvation Army’s Prairie division, welcomed me to my two-hour volunteer shift at a Christmas kettle at the Superstore on Gateway Road.

I was there in answer to an urgent plea for volunteers to help the Salvation Army raise $300,000 to help Winnipeggers in need.

A week ago, the Christian organization had only raised 25 per cent of its goal, and 70 per cent of the shifts at its 23 locations across the city were unfilled.

Fortunately, there was a good response. Now, there are fewer empty volunteer spots, and the organization is halfway to its fundraising goal. But the Salvation Army could still use more volunteers in the final push before Christmas.

“We can’t put out kettles if there’s no one to stand by them,” Marand said.

That was what happened before I arrived.

“People wanted to give, but there was no one here,” an off-duty police officer, working as paid security by the exit, told me when I arrived.

Finding volunteers isn’t only a problem for the Salvation Army. Many non-profit organizations reported a decrease in volunteerism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A decline in the number of Salvation Army members in Winnipeg — people who have been relied on to help with the kettle campaign — is an added challenge.

Twenty years ago, there were seven Salvation Army churches in this city. There are now four, with an estimated 400 or so attendees.

The Salvation Army has also counted on volunteers from local service clubs, Al Hoeft, the divisional secretary for public relations for the Prairie division, said. Like churches, they have fewer members today, and their members are older.

It adds up to a challenging time for the Christmas kettle campaign here and across the country, Hoeft said, noting the national goal is to raise $22 million this year.

All of the money placed in kettles here stays in Winnipeg, he said, where it is used for local programs that provide food and shelter, among other things.

The kettles are located at Costco stores, major shopping malls, Superstores, and Walmart and Canadian Tire stores. The Costco and malls locations collect the most donations.

“Those places are the most productive” because of the high volume of traffic at those locations, Hoeft said.

Other factors include the weather.

“Snow seems to make people feel more festive,” Hoeft said.

A welcoming and engaging bell ringer can also increase donations. That’s what I set out to be, gently shaking the bells and wishing everyone who passed a Merry Christmas, whether they donated or not.

After two hours, 37 people had made donations. Eighty per cent of the donors were women, with almost all of the givers being older.

A total of $93.75 was donated in bills and change. That doesn’t include donations from five people who used Tiptap, which allows people to donate $5, $10 or $20 by credit card.

Watching people pass by, I could see it was hard for some to give — their arms were filled with groceries and packages. Some apologized as they went by, indicating they had no change on them. Others were looking at their phones, while some seemed to deliberately avoid eye contact.

It was good to talk to those who gave, thanking them. It was most heartwarming when mothers gave their children something to put in the kettle (they got a candy cane as a thanks) and when donors expressed gratitude for the work the Salvation Army does.

At the end of my shift, Capt. Ian Scott of the organization’s Weetamah Corps came by to get the kettle. (The kettles are locked to the stand to protect against theft.)

As he gathered the donations, Scott told me all the money collected at that location goes to the Weetamah program, which helps hundreds of families each year.

The amount collected during my shift was at the low end, he said. But, Scott added, “Every little bit helps.”

To volunteer at a Christmas kettle, go to wfp.to/jm3 or call 204-975-1033. You can donate at wfp.to/jm9.

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