The usual tinkling sound ringing in the holiday season outside grocery stores and other shopping venues has been quieter this year in Bend.

The army of volunteers ringing the bells next to a red kettle has been hushed this year as the Salvation Army of Bend doesn’t have enough volunteers and has a week less than normal to solicit donations due to the shorter gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The lack of volunteers means the kettles are not being filled with cash donations from shoppers. Those donations are used to fund social service programs in Bend like housing assistance and the food pantry, said Maj. Jonathan Harvey, Salvation Army divisional commander for the Cascade division.

Donations are down by 75% with less than a week to go before the Christmas holiday, Harvey said.

“The community has always been very generous and taken care of us to make sure we can help others,” Harvey said. “Across Oregon we’re seeing the shortage of donations, but some locations are faring better than others.”

In Bend, it’s been acutely noticeable, Harvey said. Each year from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, an army of volunteers and a few paid staffers fan out around Bend and ring a bell in hopes of collecting donations that will be used to support social service programs throughout the year, Harvey said. People can sign up today and become a bell ringer tomorrow, said Edgar Azueta, a captain with the Bend Salvation Army.

“Hopefully we can get enough volunteers to man all the three doors at the Fred Meyer,” Azueta said. “We only have enough volunteers now to cover half a day at the middle door.”

The Bend Salvation Army has enough volunteers to operate at four locations, when typically it has a dozen, Harvey said.

Volunteers don’t require any training, Azueta said. Volunteers fill out an application online, select a site they want to ring a bell at and a time and a kettle will be delivered.

Those who interact with shoppers tend to garner more donations. People who want to donate but don’t have cash can scan a QR code on the kettle with their phone and make an electronic donation.

“We will drop off the kettle and meet or greet an individual,”Azueta said. “We’re in the last week of the kettle drive and we can use as many volunteers as we can get.

“I’m excited to see if we can finish strong and help our community.”

More Information

The Salvation Army of Bend is in need of bell ringers and donations to make its goal to fund programs for the year. To make a donation online go to bend.salvationarmy.org. To volunteer to become a bell ringer go online and register registertoring.com.