Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® is partnering with The Salvation Army this holiday season to bring cheer to the Chicago suburbs. Now through Christmas, Mainstreet members will ring bells at The Salvation Army’s iconic red kettles.
Starting Friday, November 9th, the Army will roll out more than 1,000 kettles across Chicagoland, and they will be out through Christmas Eve. Kettles will be placed at Jewel-Osco, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Mariano’s, malls, and a host of other retail partners.
Volunteer this Holiday Season as an Individual or With Your Office
Mainstreet members can volunteer to ring bells at a local kettle for a two hour shift. And, if you sign up for at least one shift, your logo along with the Mainstreet REALTOR® logo will be on the signage. Want to see your logo on the signage for the entire day? Sign up for a full 8 hour shift (which many Real Estate offices are doing!) Business cards and/or other marketing material can also be passed out if you sign up for at least a two hour shift.
Bell ringing makes a difference to a local neighbor in need! For every hour you work, you’re providing two bags of groceries for a family, or one night of shelter for someone who might otherwise sleep on the streets.
Bell ringers are needed the entire season, but are critical in November. So, volunteers who sign up to ring between November 9th and November 22nd will be entered to win two tickets and a chance to be honorary captain at the December 15th Chicago Wolves Red Kettle game.
You can register to ring by calling Monica Herrera with the Red Kettle Campaign at 773.329.7812.
About The Salvation Army:
Providing Shelter, Meals, and Financial Assistance
The Salvation Army raises nearly 70% of its yearly donations during the Christmas season, and the donations stay in the local community where it was raised. Last year, red kettle donations were used to:
- Serve more than 1.1 million meals
- Provide shelter for 1,085 men, women and children
- Pay more than 130,000 rent/mortgage/utility/prescription bills
- Support 600 families during Lake and McHenry county floods
This marks the 128th year of the Army’s use of red kettles as a giving tradition across the country. The Red Kettle Campaign began in 1891 when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee wanted to feed 1,000 people in San Francisco on Christmas Day. He remembered his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England, when passersby threw coins for the poor into an iron kettle on the dock. He placed a kettle at the foot of Market Street on Embarcadero with a sign reading, “keep the pot boiling.” Within a decade, the idea was copied in New York and Boston. Today the nationwide effort serves more than 6 million people.