Red Kettle Campaign continues to make a difference

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The ringing in my ears literally didn’t stop until I was relieved from my post in front of Winn-Dixie. My back and feet were sore because I hadn’t stood in the same spot for two hours since I was a child.

And yet, I never felt better. And I couldn’t wait for another shift the next day.

Our organization helped the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign and its essential mission to provide toys for children, blankets for the homeless and food for the hungry while presenting social and spiritual services to the community.

Make no mistake: there were shared benefits. The Salvation Army gets the necessary resources to comminute its mission, but we get much more. You can’t use a credit card or cash app to buy fulfillment.

It started with Winn-Dixie store manager “Big” Mike Finnick, who happily allowed a red kettle and bellringer to stand at his exit door.

Maybe you noticed some of our members standing post on behalf of the Salvation Army. Yes, that was Green Cove Springs Police Chief E.J. Guzman. It can be difficult to recognize him without a gun.

You learn a lot about your neighbors – and yourself – when you ring a bell constantly for two hours. You find out the Salvation Army doesn’t allow a bellringer to ask for money. You’re asked to smile, make eye contact and thank everyone. Five minutes into my first shift smiles and appreciation came naturally.

You regret when shoppers walk past and apologize for not having money. Or they hustle by without making eye contact. What they don’t realize is a smile is just as worthy. Never apologize for not being able or wanting to help. Charity comes from the heart, not from peer pressure.

No coins, no problem. We were there because we wanted to be there. Bellringers don’t work on commission. We appreciate it when you donate money, but we have equal appreciation for those who simply wave or smile.

You learn a lot about your neighbors while you’re ringing the bell.

I will never forget this one man, who appeared to be disheveled. I saw him going through garbage cans at the back of the parking lot. He came to the front of the store, checked in one can, and walked to the other side of the entrance to check another can. As he passed, he stopped and turned. Without hesitation, he reached into his pocket and dropped 11 cents in the bucket. It was probably all he had, but he must have felt others needed it more.

There was an elderly man who clearly was having medical issues. He was frail and weighed about 90 pounds. He wore a mask, used a walker and toted an oxygen machine. His steps were small and measured. When he left the store, he had a dollar bill rolled up in his hand. He stuffed it in the bucket and slowly returned to the car.

My Christmas wish is to see him again next year.

Also, I met a woman who exemplified why the Salvation Army is so important. She said she grew up “in the projects” in Miami, and the Salvation Army was the only place where she could play, eat, and be safe and warm. She opened her wallet and stuck $20 in the bucket.

Salvation Army is making a difference.

Volunteers who took a shift for the campaign are also making a difference.

Everyone who gave is making a difference.