TURIN — Ringing in the holidays, volunteers around the world stand next to a red kettle, seeking donations to help those in need.
Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee began the holiday tradition in 1891 in California. According to Red Kettle history, the bell was added in 1900 by a 16-year-old volunteer in New York City, who after growing tired of watching bankers on Wall Street pass her by, bought a small hand bell to draw attention to the donation kettle.
The tradition of soliciting funds for the Salvation Army is alive and well in Lewis County.
Marilyn and David Shrivers are co-coordinators of the Lewis County campaign. Mrs. Shrivers said her motivation to be involved with the Salvation Army was the desire to give back after the group helped to locate her brother who had been gone 15 years.
“They do such good things,” she said.
Mrs. Shivers said this year about $33,000 was raised locally, including $25,000 in Lowville alone and more than $5,000 through the efforts of James and Christine Chaufty, primarily focusing on raising money for the South Lewis area.
The Chauftys kicked off the bell-ringing season with a spaghetti dinner held at St. John’s Catholic Church in Lyons Falls with the help of the St. Martin’s and St. John Altar and Rosary societies. It raised nearly $2,000. They then rang the bell where they could from Thanksgiving until the end of December.
Mrs. Chaufty said she and her husband placed a counter Red Kettle at the Coachlight Inn in Brantingham and Dorrity’s Restaurant in Lyons Falls to obtain donations from visiting snowmobilers. They and other volunteers set up the kettle at plays and Christmas programs at South Lewis Central School and filled in at Tops and Walmart in Lowville when there was an opening.
“We are thankful for the cooperation of the South Lewis school,” Mrs. Chaufty said.
The Chauftys have been volunteering with the Red Kettle program for six years.
“The first year we raised $2,000 and thought it was great,” she said. “Last year we brought in $4,000 and set the goal for $5,000 this year. I’m so happy we did it — raising that much mainly by two people — we’re really proud of that.”
The bell ringer said that this year she was especially aware of the need. As the Port Leyden Food Pantry coordinator, she has seen the increase in people seeking help with food and services.
Mrs. Shrivers said there were approximately 40 volunteers to fill 240 time slots between Walmart and Tops. They also had a counter Red Kettle at Lowville Producers Dairy.
“We couldn’t have done it without all their sacrificial hours,” she said. “Snow Belt Housing and Neenah Paper, Lowville Academy groups like the National Honor Society and The Future Farmers of America and The Arc of Oneida-Lewis groups, didn’t fill just one or two slots but multiple ones.”
Money raised through the Red Kettle Campaign and other fundraisers allows the Salvation Army to help families in Lewis County with services such as groceries, medical assistance, utilities, rental assistance, clothing, hygiene products, furniture and more than 300 backpacks for children in school.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.