Sedalia Salvation Army Needs Bell Ringers for 2024 Christmas Season

Bell ringers are urgently needed by the Sedalia Salvation Army to help raise funds this Christmas season at Walmart and West Woods Supermarket.

Sedalia Salvation Army Director Magen Hudson said on Tuesday that she is signing up volunteer ringers to work shifts at those two locations, now through Dec. 23rd.

“We have open availabilities Monday through Saturday from 10 to 7 and the need is ever present this year,” she told KSIS, adding that “we’re seeing more and more people coming to sign up for our various services than we’ve seen in the last several years, even during Covid. We’re hitting a peak.”

Ringers may sign up for a one or two-hour shift at either WalMart or Woods.

“A little bit of your time can go a long ways,” Hudson said, noting that a two-hour shift of bell ringing can potentially feed a family of four for a week.

“People are really good about donating toys & food & other things at Christmas, but we need people to donate their time as well,” Hudson said, adding that December is the most challenging time of the year for the Salvation Army, recruiting enough volunteer bell ringers to make a difference for those who need help in Pettis County.

“We depend on the community, we depend on groups like the Lions Club and Sedalia Business Women – they always come through for us and have a great day of bell ringing,” Hudson said. But individuals, families, local businesses and church groups can also get in on the action and help out those in need during this festive holiday season.

Some bell ringers bring their instrumental or singing skills with them. Some people bring their blue tooth speaker for musical accompaniment during their shift.

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“We also love to have kids out there,” Hudson said. “They’re our future and we like to instill those good values at a young age. And the public loves seeing those kiddos ringing bells, and it’s just fun, it’s a good way of giving back.”

Walmart and West Woods are the only locations for bell ringers this year. “We struggle with getting volunteers every year, so the locations have kind of dwindled down, so we love to get all our spots filled at Walmart and Woods, then hopefully we can add some more location in the near future,” Hudson said.

Also at the Salvation Army, Christmas Assistance sign-ups were just completed. “So when  people ring bells at Christmas, that money goes to help the Christmas program and social services for the following year, for items such as help with utility bills, the food pantry, prescriptions, gas for travel to medical appointments, etc.”

Salvation Army is also accepting toy donations. “We have Angel Trees set up at Walmart, Lowe’s, Factory Connection, Menard’s and La Monte High School as well. So we’re asking the public to visit those locations, grab an angel tag off the tree to purchase a gift for a child in need, drop it off at the drop box at those stores and then we give them out at Christmas,” Hudson explained.

“And we’re also asking for food donations, such as mashed potatoes and gravy, and desserts,” she said.

“We have a food pantry that operates twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 12. We’ve seen the need increase for basic needs like food and hygiene supplies and the basic essentials. The need is year-round. This is just our main time of the year when we ask the pubic to come out and help us with those needs,” Hudson said.

“The food stamps that some families receive don’t last them the whole month, so this food box that we give them, the Christmas box, Christmas toys, it allows them to have a little more flexibility with their own finances to put towards those bills, to put towards rent, so people depend heavily on our programs,” Hudson stated.

Job satisfaction for the workers at Salvation Army is one of the rewards seen on a daily basis.

“That’s best part, that’s why our volunteers come up there, that’s why I’ve been working here for almost 10 years, is seeing the smiles on the parents’ faces, knowing that they’re going to have gifts to give their kids, and they don’t have to stress and worry, knowing that they’re going to have food for another week. We take for granted, you know, the basic stuff like that. But a lot of people are struggling right now just to make ends meet,” Hudson said of her experience working at the Sedalia Salvation Army.

The program at Sedalia Salvation Army is income-based and is for Pettis County residents only, Hudson emphasized. “All donations from bell ringing stay in Pettis County to help out with programs such as Christmas and food pantry.”

If you can’t volunteer as a bell ringer, maybe you could volunteer your time at the food pantry on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 12, Hudson suggested.

And of course, food donations are always welcome.

“We’re in a bind for meat now for Christmas baskets,” Hudson noted. “Our normal donor had some things come up and isn’t able to provide that this year for our Christmas hams. So we’re looking to fill those up another way,” Hudson told KSIS.

“But we need people, we need bodies, we need product, and we’re just asking for your help this Christmas,” she concluded. “Whenever we’ve got the people who come together to make it happen, we can do great things.”

Call the Sedalia Salvation Army at (660) 826-1525 and ask for Magen, Julie or any other volunteer worker and they can help you help those in need.

To sign up for bell ringing, you can go online to  www.registertoring.com  to see what shifts are available.