There are lots of ways to tell it’s getting to be that time of
year again. TV commercials become sappy, grocery stores start
selling eggnog, and marathon-shopping becomes a frenzied sport. But
for many locals, there’s only one sure sign Christmas is here.
Hollister – There are lots of ways to tell it’s getting to be that time of year again. TV commercials become sappy, grocery stores start selling eggnog, and marathon-shopping becomes a frenzied sport. But for many locals, there’s only one sure sign Christmas is here.
“People tell me all the time, ‘I know now it’s Christmastime because I hear the Salvation Army bells ringing,'” said Ramon Garcia, envoy for the San Benito County Salvation Army.
Over the years, the Salvation Army bells have become such an important beacon of holiday spirit that the popular Christmas carol “Silver Bells” was written about them, he said. But behind the ring-a-ling of Salvation Army bells there is a long history, and an even longer list of people your spare change helps.
Last year, Hollister bell ringers raised $10,375 to feed local families, Garcia said, and nationally the campaign brought in $93 million. One hundred percent of the money raised locally stays here, going to needy San Benito County residents in the form of food or grocery checks, said Garcia.
“I do this six days a week because I really like to help. Especially for the kids, and the families of people in prison who are really in need,” said Chris Sumaya, who volunteered for kettle-watch in front of Safeway on Wednesday.
This is Sumaya’s first year ringing for the Salvation Army, and he said he was prompted to start partially because he had heard Target had banned the organization and other solicitors nationwide from collecting in front of its stores.
“A lot of people have been donating this year, but I get people every day asking about Target and why there’s no one there,” he said. “I just don’t understand why Target would do that.”
Garcia said in previous years kettles in front of Target stores had accounted for about one-third of the donations in San Benito County.
Stephanie Clark, who works for the Hollister Target’s Human Resources, said the national chain had adopted a no-solicitation policy this year because it donates money to charities on its own. The Target Corporation donates $2 million a week nationally in funds to charities chosen by local store managers, according to the company Web site.
“We support the community through other means besides the bell ringers,” Clark said.
Still, the Salvation Army’s familiar red kettle and steady jingling of bells have been a holiday staple around the country and the world for over 100 years. In the winter of 1891, the captain of the San Francisco Salvation Army put a large cast-iron pot in front of the Oakland ferry terminal and took donations to give Christmas dinners to the needy, according to the national organization’s Web site.
“After that, it became a tradition to put a kettle out so needy people could have a special Christmas meal,” Garcia said.
The seasonal bell-ringing has come a long way since that first Christmas in 1891. The kettles eventually became their signature red and the idea spread throughout the country. The Salvation Army now places bell ringers outside the entrances of supermarkets and other large chain stores, and they have even set up a “virtual kettle” online so people can drop their change without leaving home.
But the spirit remains the same. Every year, the Salvation Army recruits most bell-ringing volunteers from local churches, high school students looking for community service hours, and anyone else who wants to help, Garcia said. The charity also pays some needy locals minimum wage to ring the bells and watch over the donations that will later help them.
Hollister’s Mike Youtsey said he was homeless and jobless until Monday, when he ran into a friend of his who was already ringing bells for the Salvation Army. The friend sent Youtsey to Garcia, and by the next day he had a job ringing the bell in front of Kmart. Youtsey then spent Wednesday afternoon in front of Albertsons.
“People have been really generous,” he said. “People want to help people less fortunate than themselves, especially around the holidays, but they don’t always know how to go about doing it. This is the easiest, most obvious way.”
The collection campaign begins the day after Thanksgiving (although Garcia said he is sometimes able to start a few days earlier) and bell ringers are a fixture in front of stores through Christmas Eve.
Mirna Oates, dropping money in the kettle outside Nob Hill, said she knows they will be there and tries to come prepared.
“I always try give a little every time I come by,” she said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
