Salvation Army gears up for season of giving

From their Angel Trees to the Adopt a Family program to ringing the famous bell this holiday season, it’s not too early to start thinking about joining the volunteer efforts organized by the Salvation Army Ithaca Corps.

“I know when I walk away from a volunteer experience, I feel good. I feel rich, that I did something for someone else,” Frank Towner, gift officer for Cayuga Medical Association, said Oct. 13. “I get as much back, doing something for them.”

Towner will be the keynote speaker for the Salvation Army’s Breakfast Fundraiser coming up on Nov. 4. His experience volunteering with the Salvation Army mostly extends to ringing the silver bell for the Red Kettle campaign. He has rung the bell as Santa, as his clown alter ego Crossroads the Clown, and as a representative of the Ithaca YMCA, where he was director for many years. But the most memorable time was with his late friend Richie Moran, legendary local lacrosse coach.

“If people dropped a dime or a dollar—whatever it was—he wanted them to know he really cared, and when he looked at them, he just exuded caring,” Towner said. “When days get bleak, I can think of Richie and say, ‘get things going! Don’t be bellyaching.’ His favorite line was, ‘it’s great to be here.’”

Of course, ringing the bell isn’t the only way to help.

On Oct. 12, registration for holiday assistance from the Salvation Army had only been open for 10 days, but already the organization had 138 applications, said Captain Stacy McNeil, commanding officer at the Salvation Army Ithaca Corp.

Last year, Tompkins County’s Salvation Army had a total of 288, and applications can be received until Nov. 10.

The Salvation Army lights up the holidays for local families by providing clothes and toys for school-age children, from kindergarteners to high school seniors. Last year the Salvation Army helped a record number of children–nearly 800 kids received one or more donated items through one of its programs.

“I anticipate that number continuing to go up. There’s a little bit of concern for me about whether we are going to receive the amount of donor families we need,” McNeil said.

“Anybody who applies for Christmas assistance receives it,” she explained, “because the needs are so different in different families.”

Families can experience financial strain for a multitude of reasons. “Even if two parents are working, things could have happened within the family dynamics,” McNeil said.

There are several programs offered by the Salvation Army around the holidays. Angel Trees can be found in local retailers throughout December and offer shoppers the opportunity to purchase one item per angel for a child in need.

Adopt an Angel pairs a child with a donor who purchases multiple items for the child, usually three toys and three sets of clothing.

The Adopt a Family program pairs families in need with donor families who will shop from the wish lists of all the children in the family. This option comes with a gift card for food, provided by one of the Salvation Army’s sponsors.

In addition to clothes and toys, the Salvation Army offers Christmas meals for families who request it. Families without kids are welcome to apply for food baskets.

Most recently, the Salvation Army started an Adopt a Teen program with the goal of highlighting the need for donors who will make purchases for teenagers, “because our teenagers are the hardest to get gifts for,” McNeil said.

There are ways to purchase donations online as well, either through a virtual Angel Tree or a registry on Walmart.com.

It takes a lot of organization to make so many people’s wishes come true. McNeil takes the information from the applications and assigns families and individuals to the appropriate program. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the organization to shift their application submission process from in-person to online, though if there are language barriers or the applicant is not tech-savvy enough to navigate the process, they can come to the Salvation Army office, where someone will help them fill out a paper copy.

To sign up for assistance from the Salvation Army, visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/IthacaSalvationArmy.

Those interested in ringing the bell for the Red Kettle initiative or donating gift items should stay up to date on the Facebook page for more information as the holiday season approaches.

For more information on The Salvation Army Christmas Program or to receive the application by email, please contact Captain Stacy McNeil or Diana Vrabel.

As people pick their chosen way to help this holiday season, Towner has one piece of advice: “Find your passion,” he said. “It might take a couple different volunteer opportunities to figure out which passion is yours, but find your passion.”