BRUNSWICK
Standing outside the Brunswick Wal-Mart in a swirl of thickening snow Monday morning, Shannon Savage rang a handbell and thanked passers-by who placed donations in the distinctive red kettle.
Savage, who recently moved to Phippsburg, applied for a position as a Salvation Army bell ringer even though she has “a hard time tolerating the cold.”
Savage stands at her post from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday to Saturday. She said the Wal-Mart store manager brought her a soft mat to stand on, and the Dunkin Donuts located inside the store offers a complimentary hot chocolate per shift to bell ringers.
“It just makes it a bit easier,” Savage said. “If you’re warm inside, you can make it through.”
Standing outside in the cold is but one obstacle facing the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, now 122 years old. Also looming: a shortage of volunteers, continuing economic distress for donors and conflicts with surrounding merchants.
Already facing a short holiday season and a scarcity of bell ringers, the campaign’s signature jingle recently caused them to move from their customary location outside Big Lots in the Cook’s Corner Mall, according to Salvation Army officials and some independent vendors nearby.
“Those of us who are seasonal vendors in here are very upset about it,” said Lois Kwantz, a vendor with a stall inside the Cook’s Corner Mall who sells goods from her Wiscasset store, The Butterstamp Workshop.
Kwantz, who said she has been a vendor there for eight years, said this is the first year Salvation Army bell ringers have been asked to relocate.
“The Salvation Army has always been there,” Kwantz said. “Sometimes they have a band play, and that can be a bit difficult if they’re right in front of your booth. But it’s only for a short time.”
Salvation Army of Bath/Brunswick Capt. Jean Henderson said the kettle drive moved down the hall and is now happily located outside T.J. Maxx.
Lynn Boston, T.J. Maxx store manager, said she had not received complaints from customers or staff regarding the kettle drive.
“There were so many restrictions put on the bell ringers: They weren’t allowed to sing, they weren’t allowed to ring the jingle bells, and weren’t allowed to play the tambourine,” Henderson said. “A decision was made and we moved.”
Tanya Dibiase, the manager of Big Lots, said no restrictions were placed on the bell ringers, and the company did not ask them to relocate.
“They set up (the kettle drive) where they choose to set up,” she said. “There’s no story here because nothing has happened.”
Brianna Leavitt of Bath, who sometimes staffs the kettle in the Cook’s Corner Mall, said the response from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I’m a very outgoing person, so I try to talk to everyone that comes in or leaves,” said Leavitt, in her second year as a bell ringer. “Some people will stay and talk for awhile, some people will offer me hot cocoa; some people don’t say anything at all, just go in and out.”
The annual Red Kettle Campaign dates back to 1891, when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee of San Francisco resolved to raise money to provide a Christmas Day feast to the city’s improverished.
Formerly a sailor, McFee had once seen an iron kettle at Stage Landing in Liverpool, England, where people donated coins to help those in need. Drawing on this idea, McFee set up his own kettle at the Oakland Ferry Landing with a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling” to raise funds for the meal.
It was a huge success. The idea quickly spread across the country and now is the primary fundraising push for the Salvation Army nationwide.
Though red kettles and jingling bells outside storefronts have become a trademark of the holiday season, this year has seen a shortfall of volunteers.
“These are tougher times to get bell ringers and I can’t really say why,” said Captain Ken Henderson of the Bath/Brunswick Salvation Army. “This is new, so we’re still scratching our heads as to why we’re coming up short.”
Donations are shared across the Salvation Army’s programs, including rent and heating assistance, and programs to provide toys for children and coats for the homeless. The Bath/Brunswick Salvation Army operates programs in Bath, Brunswick and 27 surrounding communities.
“The need has increased; our goal is to raise $80,000,” Ken Henderson said. “We try to spread it out over the course of the year.
“If we fall short of our goal, we may find ourselves having to cut some programs. We got a late start this year because Thanksgiving was later than usual. So now we’re hoping to catch up.”
In addition to volunteers, the Salvation Army also hires seasonal employees for the critical campaign.
As for Savage, this is her first season as a bell ringer.
She said the colder temperatures and snowfall this year may be discouraging to potential volunteers.
“The hardest part is making it through the elements because you can have some really bitter days,” she said.
Savage started her first shift at 9 a.m. on Black Friday; the temperature was 19 degrees.
“At first, I wasn’t sure what I’d gotten myself into and I wondered if I was going to make it,” she said, but added that with warm gloves and a bit of movement, she has started to really enjoy her shifts.
“I’ve gotten a lot of positive comments, especially from the older folks,” Savage said. “When I say ‘Thank you’ as they’re putting something in the bucket, they say, ‘No, thank you.’ The Salvation Army is an organization that has been there for them in times of need.”
She said, cold or not, “At the end of the day I feel good because I’m doing something that helps people.”
To volunteer for the Red Kettle Campaign, call the Bath/Brunswick Salvation Army at 443-3611. Shifts can be from one to eight hours long, and can be filled alone or by a group. The campaign ends Dec. 24.
rgargiulo@timesrecord.com
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