Let’s
not pretend I am a great worker-for-the-cause, but for the last few years I
have managed a couple of shifts with the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle, the SA’s
major fund raising campaign. Sure there are probably some negative experiences;
yes, a percentage of money raised goes to administrative costs; no, the
organization is not perfect. But, the Sally Ann, as we used to call it, is
known for being first on the scene and non-judgemental, with a “see it do it”
attitude.
Last
minute as usual I called in for 2 shifts. At Mayfair Mall, INDOORS, I took over from
a military wife and her two very young daughters, and this morning I was back outside
at Thrifty Foods Quadra/Cloverdale on a nice day of about 8C. I was dressed in long johns, down coat, down mitts and toe warmers in my boots but at about the
90/120 minute mark suddenly I was chilled despite bell-ringing and moving
around a bit to avoid seizing up.
The downside of the kettle is that 2 hours can feel like
20; you might be bored and no, you can’t bring a book, play solitaire, or
text/talk on the phone; and the location might not be interesting, comfortable,
or warm. You will also see people go out of their way to avoid you or at least
avoid eye contact, which is kind of funny but sad, because I think it comes from
not knowing how to handle saying hello without guilt or a donation.
There
are quite a few upsides to the kettle. I greet people, “hello good
morning/afternoon, Merry Christmas” and they greet me back and smile despite themselves.
I get outside my little bubble for 2 hours and see the world from a different
perspective, and I get a goodly number of “thank you for doing this”, hugs, and
“God bless you”, (which regardless of your faith or non-faith is nice). I also
get stories: “The SA took in my father when he was very ill and kept him until
he healed and was back on his feet.” “My mother was on her own with my little
brother and a ham was delivered at Christmas – she didn’t know how it happened
but it made a big difference to her”.
In the 2 hours I was with the kettle today I probably took
in $500.00 from ten cents to one hundred dollars. But here is the shock; I
was the only person at that location today, the Saturday before Christmas. Expecting
to hand off to another volunteer, I handed over to the route supervisor
instead who closed the site with 6 hours left in the day. In my 2 hours this
morning 4 people told me they had been looking for a kettle but there didn’t
seem to be any around. Volunteers have disappeared and donations are down, both
for a variety of reasons.
So here is the challenge: next year, gather your family,
bridge club, golf buddies, book club, neighbours, colleagues, or any random
group of people and cover one full day on a kettle. It may not be a super fun
activity but it is important and a great Christmas present to yourself. A
kettle day is 8 hours long, from 10:00-6:00 and the campaign runs from late
November till December 23 excluding Sundays.
If you can’t do that, next time you see a kettle, chat
with the person on duty; they might be bored, cold, tired, or hungry. Say hi, it
doesn’t cost a cent.
