HUNTSVILLE — The Salvation Army of Huntsville is urgently seeking holiday heroes to fill bell-ringing shifts this Christmas season.
Christmas is the Salvation Army’s largest and most important fundraising season of the year.
With only 21 days left to fundraise before Christmas to reach its overall goal of $150,000, every dollar dropped into the kettle during a volunteer’s shift helps provide hot meals, emergency financial support, and hope for local families in crisis.
“Without volunteers, we simply can’t meet the surge in need we’re seeing this season,” said Maj. Joseph May, commanding officer of the Salvation Army of Huntsville. “One four-hour shift at a kettle can help feed a family of four for a week or help a senior keep the heat on for a month.”
Last year, the organization served more than 15,000 individuals and families in crisis through meals, mobile feeding outreach, holiday assistance, education, and worship in the Huntsville area. The Salvation Army’s services to support those in need include pantry/food box distribution, hot meals, emergency shelter, housing assistance, and youth programs.
Bell ringing is a fun, family-friendly way to serve and build holiday traditions. Churches, school clubs and organizations, students needing community service hours, athletic teams, civic groups, and local officials and businesses are encouraged to adopt a kettle for a few hours or a full day.
Many families make bell ringing an annual tradition, and local companies often use it as a team-building activity or even launch friendly “kettle competitions” with other workplaces to see who can raise the most.
When volunteer shifts go unfilled, less money is raised to support year-round programs—meaning smaller food boxes, fewer Christmas gifts for children, and fewer families receiving help when they are struggling to make ends meet.
Just a couple of hours of volunteering can help plate dozens of meals, prepare Christmas gifts for children, and remind struggling families they are not forgotten.
Simple ways to help
- Bell Ringing
Those interested in volunteering can email huntsvilleal@uss.salvationarmy.org or call 256-536-5576 to sign up for a shift. - Donate to Virtual Red Kettle
Visit huntsvillekettle.org to make a one-time donation or support this work year-round in the community by becoming a monthly Army of Hope Ambassador with a monthly gift starting at only $10.
For more information, call 256-536-5576 or email huntsvilleal@uss.
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