Page 6 December 24, 2015 TORRANCE TRIBUNE Story and photo by TerriAnn Ferren At Christmastime, the Salvation Army, along with their red kettles, visit stores of all kinds, collecting money for the needy. All over town, I have noticed the familiar red bucket - and standing nearby, someone ringing a red bell, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. This year, I was privileged to ring the bell for the Salvation Army for a couple of sessions and it was an experience I won’t soon forget. What I learned about our community was something I had known, but never experienced firsthand with such emotion. It was a cold Saturday morning outside the grocery store at Pacific Coast Highway and Calle Mayor, where I was stationed as I waited for the Salvation Army representative. She arrived right on time, delivered my red apron and bell, and set up my bucket at the entrance of the store. Her instructions were simple, “Smile and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.” Seemed easy. Waving good-bye as she exited the parking lot, I was excited. With my apron on, and my red scarf keeping me warm, I began ringing my little red bell. At first, I simply rang it plain, like a school bell, but then I started ringing it with a Christmas tune in mind. ‘O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree’…ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. People began pulling into the parking lot and hurriedly walking from their cars toward to door of the market past my bucket. Greeting everyone was easy and reminded me how many people in Torrance I haven’t met. Everyone seemed in a good mood – even at 9 a.m. in the morning! Simply ringing the bell beside the familiar red bucket was enough for the citizens of Torrance to hunt in their purses, wallets, pockets, and backpacks for money to place into the till. Imagine my delight when the first person stopped to place a dollar in the bucket! I was elated! More and more people began placing dollars and change into the red container. One man told me he was donating for a relative who was helped during the war by the Salvation Army. Another woman told me she was donating because of how her family member was given much needed assistance during a difficult time. People were open, friendly, generous, and kind. Parents gave children money to put into the slot and elderly citizens took time to give, even when the cold wind clearly chilled their hands. The soles of my shoes began to chill so I moved into the sun, still continuing to ring the bell. Passers-by in cars, who had not visited the store but popped into the local coffee shop, waved and smiled as they passed. Everyone was joyful. At the end of my ‘shift’ I relinquished my red bell and apron to the next volunteer. As I walked to my car, I looked back at the front of the store and smiled. My wish of participating at Christmastime as a Salvation Army Bell Ringer was fulfilled. It was much more of an experience than I ever imagined. After my time ‘ringing the bell’ I had the opportunity to speak with Lieutenant Sam Fowler of the Torrance Salvation Army who is in charge of the Red Kettle Campaign. Sam told me that he began ringing the bell for the Salvation Army when he was a youngster, “I have vivid memories of going around with “We are an international organization in over 120 countries worldwide. We actually celebrated our 150th year this past July. It started in 1865 in London, England by our founder, William Booth.” my dad picking up kettles in the evening in Olympia, Washington. I was just 10 years old. My dad is also a Salvation Army Officer… so it was a part of my life growing up.” Sam told me he has always been part of the Salvation Army, for as long as he can remember. “I am a Salvation Army Officer. To become a Salvation Army Officer you have to attend the Army’s Training College, which is actually located in RPV [Rancho Palos Verdes]. Once I got trained at the Training College, you get appointed anywhere in the Western United States. I have been appointed here in Torrance. I am in my second year.” I asked Sam if he likes where he was assigned – here in Torrance - and he quickly responded, “Oh, I love it. There is no better place to be a Salvation Army Officer.” Sam told me the idea for the Red Kettles started in San Francisco in 1891. “It was started by a Salvation Army Officer [Captain Joseph McFee] who brought out a giant pot in San Francisco and he was just raising money for the Salvation Army…the idea was to fill the pot to feed people. Well, the pot was filled, people were fed, and soon, a tradition was born,” said Sam. On an average day, the Torrance Salvation Army puts out approximately 25 kettles all over Torrance. The kettles are placed in the front of stores beginning on black Friday and ending on Christmas Eve. The Salvation Army sets up only in front of stores where the managers have approved the Red Kettle. They never set up their kettles anywhere until they receive formal approval. Sam told me, “For the most part, we are very fortunate to have national agreements with corporations and so the National Salvation Army sets up an agreement with say, the Kroger Company or Wal-Mart, establishing all the insurance – sort of the technical details - and then I go to the stores and I talk to the store managers and we fill in an agreement. If the store wants to help support the mission of the Salvation Army, or wants to support the community and help those in need, they allow us to put bell ringers outside their stores.” Sam also told me he really couldn’t do the job without the partnerships with the store managers. Then I asked Lieutenant Sam Fowler if any Torrance Citizen could volunteer to ‘man’ a kettle and ring the bell. He told me, “Absolutely. It is probably a little late in the season this year, but maybe for next year. They just have to shoot me an e-mail at sam.fowler@usw.salvationarmy.org or call our office at 310.370.4515 somewhere around mid-November and we will find them a date and time and store where they can volunteer some hours and ring the bell.” Lastly, I asked Sam if he could tell me something about the Salvation Army that we might not know and he said, “We are an international organization in over 120 countries worldwide. We actually celebrated our 150th year this past July. It started in 1865 in London, England by our founder, William Booth. We are a church and that is our main thing. As a Salvation Army Officer, I am a pastor. We have a church here in Torrance and the way it works is – why a lot of people know us as a social service agency and a thrift store - is because we believe that as a church, as Christian, the natural outpouring of our faith is service. So our motto is, ‘soup, soap, and salvation’.” They believe they need to provide people with basic needs to help them. “You need to help those in need and those less fortunate. We are on target to serve 40 thousand individuals just here in the Torrance area. And that is up about 4,000 from last year,” said Sam. Sam told me he loves his job and wouldn’t do anything else. He loves being a Salvation Army Officer, investing in the community where he lives, and making it a better place. And the Torrance Salvation Army does just that. If you, like me, have walked by the red kettles since you were small and dropped coins into the pot, and always wanted to ring the bell, go ahead and plan to do it - volunteer. From my experience this year with ringing the bell for the Red Kettle Campaign, I honestly, wholeheartedly, encourage you to sign up next year. For it is in giving, that we receive. Thank you for the opportunity to serve! • TerriAnn in Torrance The Ringing of the Bell Lieutenant Sam Fowler.
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