The Salvation Army kettle rings in another year of community outreach

The red Salvation Army kettle is a familiar sight at grocery stores and other public spaces around the holidays. It has its roots in San Francisco in 1891 when a Salvation Army captain worked to raise funds for a community dinner. The original kettle was a crab pot placed at the Oakland Ferry Landing. In Haines, the kettle is organized by the Salvation Army Church and Lt. Kevin Woods.

From Black Friday to Christmas Eve you can hear the jingle of the Salvation Army bell at Howser’s market in Haines. Lea Harris is greeting shoppers armed with a smile and candy canes. She’s finishing up a two hour volunteer shift to support community outreach.

“I know they feed everybody here and give toys to the kids for christmas and save your soul!”

They can certainly guarantee the first two this year. The Salvation Army has had a presence in Haines since the 1920s. It’s more than a Thrift shop; it’s the 2nd biggest church in town. But volunteers at the kettle come from all denominations. The police and fire departments took turns ringing the bell this year; expect to see some assembly members and Mayor Jan hill this Friday.

“It’s just something you need the whole community involved in to make it work,” says Lieutenant Kevin Woods. He has an easy smile and his arms are covered in colorful Salvation Army tattoos. He’s been with the organization for about 25 years.

“Last year during the holiday season we gave 95 holiday food boxes ,this year we purchased enough for 120 of ’em because we ran out last year. We delivered senior gifts to 77 seniors last year, this year a total of 89 families received gifts for their children. This year we’re bumping up a little bit because we see the need.”

It’s a holiday tradition that has roots in the Christian ministry, but the proceeds fund social services to anyone in the community who needs them. What isn’t spent distributing holiday meals or delivering presents to families and seniors goes to community assistance throughout the year

“We’ve done about $2,000 of utility assistance; we’ve done about $4,000 of rental assistance…” Woods said.

Woods has decades of experience on the kettle. When he lived in California he’d pull 12 hour shifts and sometimes work until 3am outside in the winter weather. He’s committed because he knows the value of what he calls a hand up rather than a hand out. Woods found salvation army in a time of need:

“I actually went through one of their rehabs. I was a heroin addict and a meth user and in and out of prison. The Salvation Army reached out to me, sent me to one of their treatment centers, and now I haven’t had anything stronger than a Tylenol in me in 27 years,” said Woods.

Now Woods is in a position to help others. The best part?

“I think seeing the change, seeing the light come on like what happened to me… not realizing there was hope out there people willing to help. I’ll always remember that,” said Woods.

The holiday kettle is Salvation Army’s biggest fundraiser, but the gifts they collect will fuel the Haines community all year. This year started strong for donations but now Lieutenant Kevin is struggling to keep the pot boiling.

“When we first started this kettle season we were doing really good… There was quite a few days we were above last year. But.now we’ve kind of dropped off. As of today we’re 1100 dollars short of where we were last year. Whatever we come out with at the end it’s not because we didn’t try,” he said.

The kettle may be low on funds, but the Salvation Army volunteers are rich in holiday spirit.