Rochester Area Services 2022 Fall Newsletter

Upcoming Events

October: Giving Coats To Kids In Need

We’re pairing 250 new coats with local kids in need this October. You can help by setting up the coat shop or by assisting parents as they pick out coats for their child(ren).

Set up dates: October 17th, 18th and 19th

Shop assistance dates: October 20th, 21st, and 22nd

Morning, afternoon, and early evening shifts are available. Visit salarmy.us/events4roc for more details or call 585-754-9919.

December: Christmas Toy Shop / Food Distribution

Help families is need with toys, food and other essentials. Volunteers decorate our large warehouse by setting up the shop and arranging toys by age groups. Volunteers are also needed to give tours and assist and adults “shop” for their little ones.

Set up dates: December 5th - 8th

Shop assistance dates: December 12th - 15th

Morning, afternoon, and early evening shifts are available. Visit salarmy.us/events4roc for more details or call 585-754-9919/

“Battle Of The Bells” Returns With More Ways To Win

Last year we kicked off a new Red Kettle competition called “Battle Of The Bells”. Teams competed to raise the most donations before the campaign ended on Christmas Eve.

This year there will be more opportunities to win... (continued on page 3)

Dear <<FIRST>>,

It’s hard to believe that Red Kettle season is almost here again. With only 3 months left in 2022 there’s so much still to do for the people and community in Monroe County.

The Salvation Army is thrilled to bring back our “Coats For Kids” program, where we pair children in need with a warm winter coat. By the end of October we aim to provide 250 kids with coats. If you’re interested in donating a new coat to this cause or volunteering at our coat shop, please let us know!

Speaking of shopping, our Christmas Toy Shop will return in November to serve more than 2,500 people with holiday gifts and food. Every year hundreds of families choose between paying bills and putting toys under a tree for their little ones. Our Toy Shop gives relief to these families with donated toys, blankets, hats/ gloves, food and more to assist with their holiday celebrations. This event succeeds through the support of generous individuals and local organizations who donate new toys and food through collections of their own.

give a few hours of their time to raise money for our mission to serve others.

Our fundraising goal this Kettle Season is $365,000 - we can do it if we do it together!

• New Ways to Help Others During the Holiday Season

• Helping Students and Teachers Start the School Year Right

• Red Wings Share the Field to Help Others

• Kettle Bell Ringer’s First Hand Story

Last but not least is our Red Kettle Campaign, which helps Rochesterians all year round. Volunteers are needed more than ever as we face economical fluctuations. As the call for our services increase, so does our need for people to

We welcome your help in one or more of these giving initiatives. Here’s what you can do:

Register To Ring. Kettles are going up soon at locations all over Monroe County. Starting October 4th you can choose the kettle you want to ring at during a time/day that works for you at www.RegisterToRing.com. Make your volunteer time more fun by inviting a friend or group along...sing carols, play an instrument, or wear a festive outfit.

Host A Collection. Your family, neighbors, co-workers, or community groups can make a difference by holding a dedicated drive. Items in need: new coats, toys, hats, gloves and nonperishable food. Put an angel tree up with children’s Christmas wishes on them at your office or church. Every item counts!

Give Time, Talent or Treasure. We’ve listed 10+ ways you can help others before Christmas Day. Visit salarmy.us/holidayhelp4roc to see all of your community giving options.

Stuff The Bus:A “Wild” Success

When one of our major school supply donors put a hiatus on charitable giving this year, we feared families would come to The Salvation Army in vain for back-toschool needs. But when one door shuts, another opens!

Five local businesses made heroic efforts to negate this deficit by donating more than 2,600 school supply items.

Together with the shoppers at the Walmart Superstores in Henrietta, Gates and Greece (Dewey Ave), close to 500 backpacks and teacher gift bags were stuffed with pens, pencils, notebooks, rulers and more.

Volunteers came together to count, sort and pack donations into school bags. These bags were then distributed to children and teachers across Monroe County.

Volunteer Spotlight: Through The Eyes OfAKettle Bell Ringer Winning With The Rochester Red Wings

Why did I become a Salvation Army bell ringer at the age of 72? I saw a newspaper article in my morning paper stating that they couldn’t put out all the kettles due to a shortage of bell ringers. With no golf matches, garden or lawn work to do in the winters of upstate New York, I had the time to volunteer my services.

I had worked in a shelter’s noon meals at The Salvation Army and my past experience was most favorable. They were delighted with my call and said I could name the time and place I wanted to ring.

It turned out to be fun doing 3-hour stints and I met a lot of new and interesting people. I saw old friends, school chums and work associates as well. I learned a lot about people. All kinds and shapes with all kinds of loads and missions.

When kids inquired about the bell and kettle, parents would explain about helping the less fortunate and give them a dollar to put in. It felt great to be a part of this enlightening experience and to see the immediate reaction of a child’s contribution.

I saw all kinds of humanitarian acts; elderly getting escorted through the parking lot to and from their cars, lottery ticket buyers sharing dreams, shoppers who gave nothing initially, but then gave their grocery change before leaving. A dollar here, five dollars there...one man put in a twenty. A few even wrote checks or ran out to their cars to be able to make a contribution. I was heartened by the many who thanked me for ringing.

2022 Battle Of The Bells Competition (continued)

(from page 1)

…as we expand this Monroe Countywide competition into eight separate categories.

The Battle Of The Bells categories for this year are:

1. High Schools

2. College Clubs

3. Faith-Based Organizations

4. Community Organizations

5. Service Organizations

6. Sports and Social Organizations

7. Local Businesses

8. Families and Friends

team representative is all that’s needed for donations to count towards your team’s total.

All team members receive a certificate of participation with the team’s total number of hours and money raised.

Winning teams receive recognition in our next newsletter, invitations to our 2023 gratitude gathering breakfast, and a 1st place plaque.

The overall winner from all eight categories gets their team name engraved on our jumbo legacy trophy!

It was a beautiful Summer evening at Frontier Field as Salvation Army volunteers, staff and board members came together for our 2nd annual “Red Wings Red Kettle” night.

Divisional Commander, Major Kevin Stoops, threw out the first pitch as fans enjoyed spinning the prize wheel at our showcase table.

Ed Evans, Sr. wrote this essay after bell ringing at what is now a Tops Friendly Market in Sherrill, NY. Ed was a USMC Iwo Jima hero who passed away just before his 98th birthday. His family re-reads his essay every year and shares it in the hopes of inspiring others to become Red Kettle ringers.

At the end of each daily stint I felt as good as if I had given $1,000 myself. I got a lot of self satisfaction, a special thanks from The Salvation Army, and respect from many. I really enjoyed my bell ringer experience and highly recommend it to anyone.

Feeling called to ring this season? We need you! Registration opens on October 4th, 2022.Visit

www.RegisterToRing.com to see all locations, dates and times that are available for bell ringing.

Thank you to these wonderful companies and their staff who donated so generously to the Stuff The Bus Campaign:

 Greenlight Networks

 West Herr Auto Group

 Butler/Till

 Family First FCU

 APD Engineering and Architecture

Those who wish to compete must be in a team of two or more participants. Teams must ring at a Salvation Army Red Kettle for a minimum of four hours total during the 2022 season.

The money raised during each team’s bell ringing shifts will be tracked and counted towards their total. There’s no limit of shifts or hours each team can ring.

Teams do not have to ring in their entirety at every shift. One (or more)

How to participate: Visit salarmy.us/rocbattle to create a team for this year’s Battle of the Bells competition.

Choose one category you’d like to compete in.

Questions about this competition? Email our community coordinator at Maureen.hill@use.salvationarmy.org

We’re happy to share that donations doubled from last year’s event as did the number of new volunteers who signed up for future activities.

A BIG thanks to our Rochester Red Wings for having us return for a game this year. We loved sharing information and smiles with their patrons and staff.

Go Wings!

“The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.” ~Psalm 85:12

2021’s Battle Of The Bells winners: