Salvation Army’s bell ringers falling short due to short season. Here’s how to help

In 1891, a man named Joseph McFee lay awake at night wondering how he could help the many individuals who were going hungry in San Francisco.

During the holidays that year, McFee, a Salvation Army captain, had resolved to provide free Christmas dinners for the destitute in his city. But how would he fund it?

Then he remembered his sailor days in Liverpool, England, and the large kettle, the “Simpson’s Pot,” in which passersby tossed in a coin or two to help the poor.

The next day, McFee placed a similar kettle at the Oakland Ferry Landing with a sign that said, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had enough coins to feed the needy at Christmas.

Today, 128 years later, we know those red kettles and bell ringers.

Volunteers of The Salvation Army, and the red kettle campaign, help feed more than 4.5 million people in the United States during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The kettles are now used all over the world, including Korea, Japan, Chile, and many European countries, to collect change that adds up to feed the poor.

The Salvation Army itself was founded in 1878 by evangelists William and Catherine Booth to “help the suffering souls throughout London.”

Fast-forward to Dec. 19 in Miami-Dade County. The Salvation Army teamed up with the U.S. Coast Guard to distribute thousands of toys to families who might otherwise go without this Christmas.

The annual tradition is part of The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program, which provides holiday assistance for disadvantaged children across the country.

“The bell-ringing season is one week shorter this year because Thanksgiving fell so late and many of our agreements to stand in front of local stores do not begin until after Thanksgiving,” said Major Enrique Azuaje, Area Commander for The Salvation Army in Miami.

The fewer days resulted in The Salvation Army falling behind its 2019 kettle goal of $150,000, he said.

“We’re praying the community will dig deep in the remaining days of the season to ensure that we can continue to provide help to those who come to us for assistance.”

The organization is optimistic that, with the community’s support, they can still reach the goal.

“We are so grateful for the ongoing financial support and generosity shown to The Salvation Army,” Azuaje said.

“Contributions to the red kettles stay right here in this community and mean that we can serve meals to those experiencing hunger, help keep the lights on for a family struggling to pay their utility bill, and provide a pathway to self-sufficiency for people in need in our community.”

The bells ring outside stores through Christmas Eve and then the volunteers pack up and go home for the holidays.

If you missed it, you can still donate to help others in our community at www.SalvationArmyFlorida.org/give or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

The Young Leaders Summit

The second annual gathering of young people who want to make a positive difference in the world took place in November at Pinecrest Gardens

“This year was all about the environmental issues of the country and the planet,” said Benjamin Pla, a 10th-grader at Coral Gables High who was one of the organizers.

“Our goal is to educate the youth and prepare them for the future by allowing them to effectively organize and meet other youth activists around them. We were particularly inspired to cover this topic this year after the U.N. set their sustainable development goals in 2015, which are 17 interconnected goals we must set for improving our earth and community by 2030.”

Pla said there were more than 175 students from 15 schools in attendance at the Young Leaders Summit in Miami last month.

“The Summit held an opening ceremony, two different breakout session blocks including fantastic organizations such as genCLEO, the local municipal council (Mayor Corradino, Councilwoman Kattie Abbott, and Councilwoman Anna Hochkammer), Debris Free Oceans, the Sierra Club, Cortada Projects and Moms Demand Action.

“Our goal through these breakout sessions was to educate local students on how to advocate, communicate, engage, express themselves through art, and how to tie these skills into climate change in order to become fully aware of our impending situation and how they may take action,” Pla said.

The group provided lunch to attendees, and leftovers were donated to the Pinecrest Gardens staff as thanks for all the help.

“As organizing committee members, each of us were tasked with fundraising $150 in order to make our $2,000 dollar goal so our event and lunch options for the students were free, as well as contact local caterers, and climate activists.

“Each of us also attended weekly Zoom calls to discuss our plan for the event, and our progress updates. Committee Members included high school students Nikki Marcus, Aya Hamza, Dani Parra de Riego, Danniela Beropsi, Kevin Cruz, Sammy Gazda, Nicole Gazo, Anais Roatta, Dylan Sanchez, Maria Vargas, John Paul Mejia, Christopher Badillo, and me,” Pla said.

Write to him at benjaminpla33@gmail.com and visit www.youngleaderssummit.weebly.com.

South Beach Jazz Fest is Jan. 3-5

Legendary jazz saxophonist David Sanborn will headline the fourth annual South Beach Jazz Festival, the only jazz festival with the mission to raise public awareness of people with disabilities.

The three-day event will present 10 free, and two ticketed, performances in seven locations throughout Miami Beach, Jan. 3-5, 2020.

You can hear some of Miami’s top performing artists including: Sammy Figueroa, Jonathan Joseph, Kiki Sanchez, Alfredo Chacon, Magela Herrera, William Cepeda, Yainer Horta, Nicole Yarling, Ruben Caban, Fanny Sarkozy, Ashley Pezzotti, and The Reuben Hoch Chassidic Jazz Project.

The lineup of musicians keeps to the goal that each performance showcases the artistry of at least one person with a disability, “enabling them to be defined by ability rather than disability.”

“We not only present great jazz with some of the most popular artists performing today, we have a greater purpose,” said David New, founder and president of Power Access, Inc.

“As one who experiences this first hand, I am filled with gratitude to the great artists who join in performing, the support of the City of Miami Beach, and the people who attend each year.”

Learn more at www.sobejazzfestival.com or call 786-607 JAZZ (5299).

If you have news for this column, write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com.