Salvation Army Uses Social Media To Sign Up Bell Ringers

And for many bell ringers, being a seasonal employee with the Salvation Army helps them make Christmas happen for their own families.

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) – As shoppers approached the front doors of JC Penney on November 27, they were greeted with ringing bells and a Christmas carol or two by six little elves.

“You can find the Salvation Army red kettles at stores and malls across the Tennessee Valley”.

“This is our family tradition”, said Rob Francis, grandfather to the six.

“You raise a good amount of money” during that push, Lyle said, “but not 75 percent of it”.

“I hear that so many times and every time I hear it, it’s a blessing”, he said, to be a part of something that has “always been there trying to help people in their times of need around the holidays but also any time of year”.

“We want to teach them that the holidays are more than just getting”.

Smith, 55, said she has wanted to be a volunteer bell ringer for years.

This is why I’m “Ringing with Joy”.

Two-year-old Johnathan Dunn, the youngest of the cousins, drew a crowd when he started dancing as the others sang “Jingle Bells”.

Several passersby dropped coins and bills into the kettle Friday, including Salt Lake resident Wayland Brownfield, as he held the hands of his young daughters, ages 4 and 5. “There are a lot of people in the community who are very grateful for what we do, and that’s really fun to see”. Smith was a stranger to most of those who crossed her path, but the organization she represented, the Salvation Army, has become almost universally known for helping people in their greatest time of need.

While many families settled in for an evening of shopping or sleeping off Thanksgiving dinner, Francis and his wife, Cheryl, loaded in the vehicle and headed to Cincinnati to pick up their grandchildren to participate in the activity. “They said they’re going to use it for their Christmas card, that just made my day”, Denman said.