TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Since its inception in 1891 in San Francisco, Calif., each year the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign has grown throughout the nation and become a visible holiday reminder that there are many people in need. Volunteers ring bells near the hanging red kettle to raise funds that are used in local communities throughout the year. In years past, this has often become a fun annual event for individuals and for families and friends to ring the bells as a group and even sing carols to encourage donations. The bell ringers add an extra note of holiday cheer and encourage smiles from busy shoppers. It’s part of a holiday tradition to keep a little cash or change on hand to put into the red kettle.
Typically, the Foto News runs a photo of a local volunteer or a group of volunteers ringing the bell. But this year, the Red Kettle Campaign is lacking volunteer bell ringers, and the absence of those bells ringing could result in a significant drop in donations this holiday season.
In the entry way to the Merrill Walmart on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, the red kettle stood ready for donations, but without the cheerful greetings of a bell ringer, no one was putting any money into the kettle when this writer walked by.
At Dave’s County Market on Sunday, Dec. 19, the other Merrill location where bell ringers have historically been stationed for this annual fundraiser, all was quiet, and the empty red tri-pod appeared to be awaiting a volunteer to hang the kettle and ring the bells.
A Monday morning check of the Register to Ring website, where volunteers can sign up to ring bells locally, indicated there were still quite a few available one-hour shifts in need of volunteers to ring the bells at both locations in Merrill. If you’d like to ring the bells to raise funds for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign, sign up here: https://www.registertoring.com/shifts-select.aspx.