Not So Much DING DING DING This Xmas Shopping Season :-)

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Salvation Army faces shortage of volunteers

Thursday, November 25, 2004 - Bangor Daily News

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HOULTON - While area residents clean up from their Thanksgiving feasts

today and plot out their shopping trips for tomorrow, they most likely

will be ready for the sight of shoppers wielding massive packages and

parking lots full to the brim. But a familiar holiday sight - the

bell-ringing Salvation Army volunteer next to a red kettle - may be

missing this year. The reason? The agency can't seem to find enough

volunteers to help this year, according to, Capt. Knickerbocker of

The Salvation Army in Houlton. " We run completely on volunteers, and

things seem to be especially slow in terms of people signing up to help

this year, " he said Wednesday. " We are having problems in Houlton and

Presque Isle, especially. " Each year, the Salvation Army stations

volunteers at specific locations alongside the charity kettles. Shoppers

and pedestrians who put money in the containers contribute up to 40

percent of the organization's annual income to help the needy.

In other news, Target told the Salvation Army to take a hike.

Ride the Music

AndyTiedye

[Guest guest]

Andy posted:

> Salvation Army faces shortage of volunteers

>Thursday, November 25, 2004 - Bangor Daily News

Someplace recently I saw a cartoon. A " santa " bell-ringer with two

dogs nearby. The caption said something about " Christmas is hell for

Pavlov's dog. " One of the dogs had its mouth open with a pool of

saliva accumulating on the sidewalk in front of it. The other dog was

saying something like, " For heaven's sake, get a grip! "

( " grip " in this case being part of a phrase meaning, " pull yourself

together. " No reference to luggage intended.)

Jane

[Guest guest]

> Salvation Army faces shortage of volunteers

> Thursday, November 25, 2004 - Bangor Daily News

I'll say this though for the Salvation Army...

I have a friend, in her 60s, who lives alone in a house with no heat.

This is in Wyoming. It's cold here in case anyone hasn't been here

(usually people know Wyoming as " the place our family car broke down " ).

Today, it is in the low teens (F, so below freezing for people who use

Celsius). That's cold enough to freeze to death in, easily. I've been in

this town for years, and remember entire weeks where the high temperature

never reached -40F (about the same in C).

She also has no hot water to bathe in or wash her dishes. And she's not

incredibly healthy anyhow, so not having any heat doesn't help nor does

not having the ability to properly clean things.

She's asked for help from the State. They don't feel more then $60/month

for utilities is necessary (FWIW, I spend about $300 for heat per month in

winter). They won't do anything about a disconnection, either, in which

case you may have to pay between $400 and $500 to get your heat back.

Someone who can't pay their heat in the first place probably doesn't have

a spare $400 or $500. This year, the State doesn't feel she is worthy of

heat at all. Yet she does not have any stable income of ANY kind.

Some of her friends have helped in various ways, but most people -

including my friend - don't like to accept help of this type from friends.

It's an issue of dignity.

The only organization which has offered to make sure she ends up with heat

this winter is the Salvation Army. They are paying $400 of the

reconnection and help from her friends will cover the rest. It's taking

far too long, but at least *soon* she'll have heat (within a week we

expect, which will mean she only went through 2 months of our 6 month

winter with no heat).

Until other organizations are willing and able to provide this type of

support, I'll live with the sound of the bells. It sure beats a dead

friend. I hear people complain about lack of utilities in Iraq, but I see

very few people willing to do anything about them in the US. When other

organizations step up and ensure people don't have to live through cold

northern winters without heat, I'll support the only ones that try to

help. I certainly don't like everything about the Salvation Army, and

would prefer other organizations do that work - but they are the only

ones in at least my area doing this type of work.

--

[Guest guest]

wrote:

>

>

>

>

>> Salvation Army faces shortage of volunteers

>>Thursday, November 25, 2004 - Bangor Daily News

>>

>>

>

>I'll say this though for the Salvation Army...

>

>I have a friend, in her 60s, who lives alone in a house with no heat....

>

>She's asked for help from the State. They don't feel more then $60/month

>for utilities is necessary (FWIW, I spend about $300 for heat per month in

>winter). They won't do anything about a disconnection, either, in which

>case you may have to pay between $400 and $500 to get your heat back.

>Someone who can't pay their heat in the first place probably doesn't have

>a spare $400 or $500. This year, the State doesn't feel she is worthy of

>heat at all. Yet she does not have any stable income of ANY kind.

>

>

I am sure they do some good work. My real gripe with the Salvation Army

isn't the bells.

Salvation Army officialdom enjoyed really good access to the Bush

administration when

it came into office. Did they ask for them to do more to help the

poor? NO!! They asked

for the right to discriminate against gay people. That was their top

priority, the one on which

they expended all their political capital. I am not gay, but I found

that really offensive.

At least around here, there are better organizations around to help the

poor.

Ride the Music

AndyTiedye