WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — 'Tis the season for Salvation Army bell ringers across the community.
Salvation Army bell ringers are out in full force with Red Kettles at about 30 locations throughout the area, like one inside the lobby of the Tops on Main and Union in Williamsville.
It's a fundraising event dating back to the late 1800s.
’Tis the season for @SalArmyBuffalo bell ringers out in full force for #RedKettle campaign. @WKBW pic.twitter.com/bEPiVPYzQX
— Eileen Buckley (@eileenwkbw) December 11, 2024
"How generous are Western New Yorkers when it comes to this campaign?" I asked.
"The most generous. We're in a community that cares about each other. The 'City of Good Neighbors' that extends throughout the county, and we're always blown away by the generosity of individuals," replied Major Annette Lock, director of operations with the Salvation Army in Erie County.
"Hey, you can't beat the Salvation Army. There's no better organization than that," said Frank Goettelman of Cheektowaga.
Generosity from people like Goettelman, who believes there's a 'higher' reason to give. He placed cash in the kettle.
"That means that the good Lord might bless me because my dad told me if I don't give money to one of these people with the red kettles, it's bad luck for an entire year," said Goettelman.
But if you don't carry cash, you can now use QR codes or Tip Tap with your smartphone.
"It's simple, it's very quick, and it's a safe way to be able to make a donation to the Salvation Army with a cell phone or a credit card," explained Lock.
This year's goal is $362,000, but right now they've reached only about 62% of their goal and will end the campaign on December 24.
Lock said one of the reasons the campaign is running behind is the "lack of manpower or woman power" with fewer bell rings. They're still looking for volunteers who could offer a few hours.
Lock also tells me that they find all kinds of donations inside the Red Kettles.
"Like a gold ring or a diamond or something, those are always very surprising. We find all kinds of things at kettles. Often people will kind of roll up lots of dollar bills like we'll have a little stack of hundreds," said Lock. "It just reminds us of how good people are and how generous that they would want to share that much of their resources with us."
