Salvation Army closes in on goal for bell ringing

The Lodi Salvation Army was the recipient of 1,192 volunteer hours during this year’s bell-ringing season, Major Mark Thielenhaus said on Thursday.

Even though the charitable organization missed its target of 1,500 hours by 308, it was still a 65 percent increase from last year, Thielenhaus said.

The bell-ringing season will officially end on Saturday and Thielenhaus said that volunteers could still sign up to volunteer before the season is over.

So far, the Lodi Salvation Army has been able to raise about $69,000 during this season. Last year, $74,000 was raised and Thielenhaus said he’s confident that amount will be surpassed in the next couple of days. Because fewer bell ringers were hired this year, he said the net income will be about $20,000 higher because of the money saved from not having to hire as many people.

One year, the Lodi Salvation Army spent almost $30,000 hiring people to ring the bells and this year they’ve spent less than $8,000, Thielenhaus said.

“Having volunteers is crucial to making sure the money goes to where it needs to go,” Thielenhaus said.

The Salvation Army is very selective in the hiring process, looking for people who may need a job or assistance during the holidays, Thielenhaus said.

Ringing the bell for wages allows them to earn the money they need without seeking further assistance from the Salvation Army.

“Everybody wins if we must hire, but we certainly would rather use only volunteers next year,” Thielenhaus said.

All the money raised during the bell-ringing season goes right back into the community, funding programs and services the Salvation Army provides. The money helps with running the Hope Harbor Shelter,

funding youth programs, keeping the food bank open, providing rental and utility assistance to clients and keeping the doors open for recovery meetings along with a host of other resources and services. The money also assists with seasonal activities and programs held throughout the holiday season.

In 2016, the Lodi Salvation Army served more than 123,000 hot meals and 20,000 food boxes. It also provided more than 40,000 overnight stays in its shelter and assisted 125 utility bills. This year, it has given away 463 food boxes, more than 2,400 toy and 100

bikes. It also served 461 families and nearly 900 kids were able to get toys.

In the last couple of days the Salvation Army was also able to partner with the California Highway Patrol and Lodi Children’s Dreamworks to provide food and clothes to their clients during the Christmas season. On Thanksgiving it also provides a Thanksgiving dinner to the public.

“I just want to say thank you to this amazing community for all their support in both finances and the valiant volunteer efforts that they helped us achieve this year. Merry Christmas,” Thielenhaus said.