Red Kettle coordinator rings in the holiday

Salvation Army: Red Kettle coordinator Joe Monfiletto invites community to help out

MUNNSVILLE>> Within the next few weeks, Salvation Army volunteers will once again begin ringing their bells at a variety of area locations, collecting donations in their red kettles that will be used locally for the needy.

But those dollar bill and loose change collectors don’t show up at random. In the greater Oneida area, including parts of Vernon, Verona, and Sherrill and into Canastota, the task of recruiting and scheduling those bell ringers has recently fallen to brandnew Salvation Army red kettle coordinator Joe Monfiletto of Munnsville.

He took over the post some three weeks ago, and said when he was approached about the job opening he just couldn’t say no.

“I was very familiar with the work of the Salvation Army and all the good it does,” Monfiletto said. “They provide so much to people in need, I felt I not only had to do this but I wanted to do this.”

Monfiletto is a retired New York state parole revocation officer, and before that he worked in mental health. It was through his jobs that he got to see the benefits the Salvation Army can deliver to people in the need of a little extra helping hand, he said.

“I have experienced the work of the Salvation Army before — not as a volunteer, but throughout my career I have seen a lot of people who the Salvation Army has helped turn their lives around,” Monfiletto explained. “I don’t think the public realizes how much good they do.”

To help spread the word, he recently spoke to the Oneida Chamber of Commerce, and has another engagement set up with the Oneida-Sherrill Lions Club. He welcomes any organization from adults to youths who want to learn more about the outreach to give him a call and schedule a presentation of their own.

Monfiletto hopes his talks will inspire others to come out and donate a little of their own time, and bell ringers can be as creative as they like in their

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“They provide somuch to people in need, I felt I not only had to do this but I wanted to do this.”

— Joe Monfiletto, Salvation Army red kettle coordinator

PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE DISPATCH BY MIKE JAQUAYS Gabrielle Jaquays, left, and sister Samantha Jaquays join the Oneida-Sherrill Lions Club in ringing the red kettle bells in this 2003file photo. Salvation Army red kettle coordinator Joe Monfiletto said the charitable outreach is a great family...

Salvation Army red kettle coordinator Joe Monfiletto, right, watches as Judy Leighton makes the first donation of the preseason on Oct. 18in Munnsville. The official red kettle season will begin in November.