The Salvation Army of Greensboro kicked off its Christmas kettle season with a ceremony on Friday, Nov. 20 that involved a lot of bell ringing.
The event was held in front of the Greensboro Community Theatre building at 520 S. Elm St., the original office of the Salvation Army of Greensboro.
The ceremony was also held downtown to announce that for the first time in years the Salvation Army kettles will return to downtown Greensboro. Capt. Matt Hedgren, corps officer for the Salvation Army of Greensboro, thanked Downtown Greensboro Inc. (DGI) President Zack Matheny for his help in facilitating the return of the Salvation Army kettles and ringing bells to the downtown area.
Hedgren also said, “This year, the Salvation Army, is looking to rescue Christmas from the hands of the coronavirus pandemic. Our desire is to meet the needs of all people in Greensboro and beyond, without discrimination, and to make Christmas a time for good. For any that can offer time to ring a bell, donate a canned good, or leave some spare change, The Salvation Army is here to continue to fight for good.”
Bob Bruggeworth, the CEO of Qorvo, was on hand to make the first donation of the year a check for $10,000 from the Sedgefield Angel Tree Helpers. The Angel Tree Open golf tournament is held at Sedgefield Country Club every year to raise funds for the Salvation Army and Bruggeworth said they had raised over $135,000 with every dollar going to the Salvation Army.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan said that like other organizations that serve the needy The Salvation Army was under a lot of stress this year because of all the additional needs caused by the pandemic. She said, “We in the City of Greensboro are very grateful for the Salvation Army and we need to step up and help them.”
With everything shut down and done online / virtually these days it just isn’t the same… Watching Mom, Dad, Uncle Bob, or Grandpa push a button on a smartphone or computer doesn’t have the same impact on little Johnny or Susie as watching them hand their hard earned cash to the needy and teaching them to help others in need. The response of our local leaders to this pandemic will have lasting repercussions.
In contrast to Goodwill, the Salvation Army is a real charity. The Salvation Army’s executives do not rake out millions of dollars for themselves.