If you have been out shopping this holiday season, you have probably seen them. The bell ringers that staff the front lines for the Salvation Army's annual Red Kettle Campaign are out in many area locations.
The national campaign raises money for those in need, according to the organization's website.
In the Oneonta area, the donations support the organization's Christmas programs, local Salvation Army Major James Smith said.
There are 11 kettles in Cooperstown, Oneonta and Sidney, he said.
The campaign is a little behind, but thanks to the generosity of the community, he expects it will meet its goal of $61,500. Last year it raised about $60,000, he said.
That is 60 percent of the budget for Christmas programs, Smith said. The campaign runs from Nov. 19 through Dec. 24.
The people who staff the kettles are "an important part of what we do," Smith said. "Without them, we wouldn't be able to accomplish all that we do."
But who are the people who, in many cases, volunteer their time to support the cause, and what brings them out?
There are several people at area kettles that are volunteer veterans of previous campaigns, Smith said.
One of the longest serving is 60-year-old Lewis Gage of Oneonta, who can be found at the kettle at the Oneonta Price Chopper about five or six days a week, he said.
He was been ringing the bell for 26 years, he said.
It all started when he was helping at the agency and someone didn't show up for a shift.
"I said, well, I'll fill in for the night. I've been doing it ever since," he said.
"You meet all kinds of different people," he said. "I think the lord called me to it."
The people he greets are generally nice, he said.
One of his most memorable moments was in the early years. He was at a shopping plaza on Oneonta's West End,when two young men were smoking cigarettes on the other side of the lobby. One flicked the butt and it went into the kettle, Gage said. Luckily, Gage said he was drinking a soda at the time and he was able to put out the ash before it did much damage.
He has been at his current location for about seven years, during the season. After it is over, he will go back to his job at The Arc Otsego.
"I will miss it a little," he said.
There are several Salvation Army kettles at the Southside Mall in Oneonta.
Vera Stewart, 59, of Oneonta, was ringing her bell on Friday, opening the door for customers at J.C. Penney, and wishing them a "Merry Christmas." A heart condition prevents her from having a regular job, but not from "giving back," she said. She started volunteering in 1996.
"I get to greet a whole lot of people," she said when asked why she keeps coming back. But to really get in the spirit, "you have to be hands-on," she say in explaining why she was not sitting in the agency's wooden hut outside the door.
Opening the door is helpful but its the eye-to-eye contact and giving them a "Merry Christmas" that she hopes people notice.
Most of those she greets are nice but "if you are happy and enjoyable they will be also," she said.
"As long as you enjoy it, the day is not long," she said. The secret of staying warm, she said, is wearing layers and keeping on the move.
She does not see how much people leave in the kettle, but they have been generous this year, she said.
Among the people who donated money Friday was Renee Walker and her daughter, Bridget, from Morris.
It's something she does every year, Renee Walker said. "It's part of the holiday."
Also making a donation was Elinor Lavell of Stamford.
"By the time the holiday is over, I put in $50," in the various kettles around the area, she said. "I think it is an excellent cause."
This is the second year that Kelly Suttles of Oneonta has volunteered her time. The 32-year-old "stay-at-home" mom was inside the main entrance to the Southside Mall. She works a 60 hours week, starting at her post at 10 a.m. and continuing until 8 p.m., like the others interviewed.
"I like the idea of helping needy children," she said. "If we can just help one child, we've done our job," she said. She got involved through her association with the Salvation Army church on River Street, she said.
There are three kettles in Sidney. Marion Michel of Oneonta can be found at the one outside Kmart. She has been involved with the effort since the 1990s. Her husband, Leslie Michel, was working at the nearby Price Chopper grocery store.
"I really love doing the work," she said. "I meet a lot of people."
She is a member of the church and when they needed the help, "I was happy to do it," she said.
Because of a disability, she is not able to work at a regular job, she said.
When the season is over, she will return to her daily routine of working around the house.
"I will miss it," she said about her volunteer work.
Her most memorable moment came a number of years ago she said when she said "God bless you," to a woman with cancer, who made a donation. When she saw her again, she told Michel the cancer had gone. "God healed her," Michel said.
Besides its trademark red kettles, The Salvation Army also has a Angel Tree campaign at locations throughout Oneonta, Smith said. The tree features tags, each marked with a child's name, so people can buy presents for the children.
