Kettles in Charles City fund good works throughout the year in Floyd County

By Chris Baldus | cbaldus@charlescitypress.com

Six-year-old Laine Roberts had to work a bit to force a small wad of bills into the “X” slot on top of the red kettle.

The bills folded and fell through in time for the donor to hand Laine some more.

Laine was at the Charles City Hy-Vee Store with her grandmother, Deb Roberts, ringing the bell for the Charles City Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign.

The kettles were put out at the four stores that are the campaign’s traditional hosts: Thiesen’s, Hy-Vee, Kmart and Schueth Ace Hardware.

The kettles and their bell ringers will be near the front doors every Thursday, Friday and Saturday until Dec. 23. They will also be out on Dec. 21, the Wednesday before Christmas.

A bell ringing session that will be a bit more noticeable than usual will be from 3-5 p.m., Dec. 3, at Ace Hardware. The Llove Those Llamas 4-H Club will bring llamas with them.

Marilee Monroe, who has volunteered for the red kettle campaign for nearly 40 years, praises the community’s involvement.

“What I think is so wonderful about it is if you go into a crowd and you ask, ‘Are you ringing a bell?’ at least 50 percent will say ‘I’m ringing a bell,” she said.

From small children to school-age children to teenagers and senior citizens, the demographics of bell ringers are wide.

“You won’t believe how many 90 year olds are out there,” Monroe said.

Although there have been three cancellations as of the writing of this article, the schedule for bell ringers was full when ringing began Friday.

The organizing committee is seeking people and groups who are willing to be on a list to fill in for cancellations. Those interested in ringing can call Susan Grant at 228-2109 or Cathy Hall at 228-7206.

Ninety percent of the money collected in Charles City stays in Floyd County to help people in need and fund worthy causes. Ten percent goes to the Salvation Army headquarters in Omaha, Neb., for administrative costs.

Every penny of the 90 percent share is spent each year in Floyd County in a variety of ways, Monroe said.

Some examples include purchasing gift cards to be distributed to people who need a boost throughout the year. The cards are given to organizations that know who is in need.

From the 2015 campaign, the committee purchased $6,000 in gift certificates from Fareway, Hy-Vee, Kwik Star and Kmart.

“We found what people need in the county is groceries and gas,” Monroe said.

Two of the retailers were also chosen because they have pharmacies, she said.

The Charles City Police Department also receives a share from the Kettle Fund to help transients, and a share goes to an organization helping people in need pay rent.

Through the year, money is donated to various small projects and organizations, such as after-school programs in Rockford, the Charles City Moms Group, TLC: The Learning Center, an art project in Charles City and the historical society in Rudd.

At the end of the budget year, the local committee chooses a cause to receive a larger donation.

From the 2014 campaign, a $4,000 donation went to a Families Making Connections program to help foster children who age out of the foster care system.

From the 2015 campaign, a $2,500 donation was given to the Floyd County Sexual Assault Response Team to help survivors of assaults.

According to notes published annually thanking the general public, in the 2015 Christmas season, the local kettle campaign brought in $17,812.49. In the 2014 season, kettles collected $19,577.74.

-20161128-

— 20161128 —