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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Members of the Caribou Masonic Lodge Joe Cheney and Graham Warne were two of many Masons who helped raise funds for the Salvation Army last holiday season. |
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — They are one of the most identifiable sounds and images seen during the holidays. The sound of bells ringing by a person standing next to a bright red kettle outside of many major stores is a sure sign that the holidays have once again arrived.
The day after Thanksgiving marks the traditional start to the Salvation Army’s Kettle Drive. And this year, the call to help needy families is greater than ever.
The Salvation Army came to Aroostook County in 1889, according to Major Steve Pearl, head of the Salvation Army for the County. He and his wife, Irma, have run the Salvation Army, based out of Houlton, for the past seven years.
With the increasingly challenging economy, more families than ever are in need of assistance, he said. The Salvation Army tries to meet the needs with the generous donations made by all who support the Christmas Kettle Campaign and every dollar given by the Aroostook County community, makes it possible for the Salvation Army to help those in need, not only during the holiday season, but throughout the entire year.
Fortunately, donations at Christmas have gone up in each of the seven years the Pearls have been in The County. Last year, nearly $60,000 was raised by the kettle drive. This year, they hope to collect $65,000.
About 10 kettles can be found from Houlton to Caribou each holiday season. There are only a few places the Salvation Army can actually put kettles, Pearl said. In years past, they would be located in downtown areas, because those places were a gathering place for the community, but that trend has shifted to the “uptown” areas where there is a greater foot traffic.
In Houlton, kettles are typically found in front of Mardens and Andy’s IGA in the Houlton Shopping Plaza, Walmart and County Yankee grocery store. In Presque Isle, the kettles are located in front of Mardens, Walmart, Kmart and Star City IGA. In Caribou, Pearl said he has been given permission to place kettles at Sleepers and the Dollar Tree.
On Friday, Pearl said he started ringing the bell around 8:30 a.m. and was amazed at the amount of people who were out seeking “Black Friday” specials.
The funds raised from the kettle campaign go to the Salvation Army’s general fund to be used for heat, rent or food assistance for individuals and families in need. He estimated about 130-140 families are in need of support this year.
The one thing that the funds are not used for is purchasing toys for the holidays. Instead, any toys that are distributed to families are collected through the Salvation Army’s “Angel Trees,” which have tags bearing a needy child’s age and one toy they would like to receive this Christmas. Some tags also feature the names of adults and small items they might need.
Angel Trees are located at Kmart and JC Penny in Presque Isle and Walmart and Mardens in Houlton.
In the past good Samaritans have called the Salvation Army and offered to “adopt” a family for the holiday, providing presents for both the children and adults.
Finding enough volunteers to man those kettles is challenging, Pearl said. Often times, the Salvation Army has to hire individuals to work the kettles at key locations because there simply are not enough people volunteering. Kettle ringers are needed six days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Members of local Rotary clubs and the Masons, as well as employees from many area banks, and various fire departments, typically are the groups that volunteer their time.
For instance, the Caribou, Limestone and Washburn Masonic Lodges have teamed up once more to help bring the Salvation Army’s Kettle Campaign to Caribou, dividing up the times so that every member has the opportunity to help make a difference.
“It’s a joint effort [between the Lodges], and through their efforts we were able to increase our presence in Caribou by one more location this year, and our hope is that we may be able to increase funds raised for the Salvation Army by as much as 50 percent,” said Master of the Caribou Masonic Lodge David Spooner.
The Masons with the Caribou Lodge will be at One Stop, Sleepers and Ouellette’s Variety on Saturday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. ringing bells, and there’s no shortage of volunteers within the organization.
Spooner said that some men have signed up to volunteer both weekends and are happy to do so.
“They see the value in it, and they see that they don’t have to give a whole lot of themselves to do a lot of good,” he said.
But individuals may also volunteer to ring the bell. The Salvation Army typically has more than 100 volunteers on a yearly basis.
“It’s fun to see the support from the communities,” Pearl said. “It seems that no matter how bad the economy is, people want to help each other. That’s a great thing about living here.”
Pearl encouraged any families, or groups, who wanted to volunteer for shifts to call him at 538-5284.
Donations throughout the year have been down significantly, Pearl said. But he is optimistic things will pick up this holiday season.
“With the recession the way it is, our general donations have declined,” he said. “But usually when people see the red kettles, donations start coming in. We’re having a good start.”
