By Jennie Miller
C & G Staff Writer

METRO DETROIT — The Rockettes opened the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Campaign in style Nov. 14, their red Santa outfits fit for the season as volunteer bell-ringers set out to more than 300 locations in southeast Michigan to raise money.

The effort will run through Dec. 24, with a goal of raising $8.5 million to sustain the services and programs provided to the public by the Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division, which is based in Southfield.

“We have a whole array of programs,” said Maj. John Turner, general secretary for the Salvation Army Eastern Michigan Division. “We have a number of things that we do. Last year we provided 2.8 million meals — that’s almost 8,000 meals a day. We have shelters that operate (throughout the area), and on a given night we average 2,110 people. We provide nearly 10,000 winter clothing items, including coats and hats and mittens. Last year, we provided over 111,000 Christmas gifts to needy children and seniors in the area.”

There is a great need for such services this year.

“As the economy has worsened, the need for assistance is now increasing,” Turner said, a statement that was echoed by Capt. Caleb Senn, officer for the Warren corps of the Salvation Army, one of 17 locations in the metro Detroit area.

“The economy is worse off, unemployment is at a high, and we’re seeking folks with families who are just having a hard time making ends meet,” Senn said. “I’d say that it’s more important this year than any other year to get these funds raised.”

Challenging times lie ahead for residents and for philanthropic organizations like the Salvation Army.

“While there is a much greater need than before, (fewer) people are in a position to give than before, so there is a real challenge for the Salvation Army,” Turner said. “We need help now more than ever. … We’re looking to the citizens of southeast Michigan to help us help others — together we can do the most good.”

Red kettles will be on hand at more than 300 locations in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, including grocery stores and retail establishments such as Walgreens, Michaels, JC Penney and Kroger.

“We’ve had ongoing relationships with these companies,” Turner explained. “We have a history of ringing bells at their stores, and they continue to allow us to do that, and we’re very appreciative of that. Without the red kettles it would be very difficult for us to raise money. I don’t think a person can go too far around Christmastime without running into a red bucket.”

The organization would not be what it is today without its dedicated volunteer bell-ringers and generous donors.

Farmington Hills resident Mari Senko discovered that some 75 years ago, her father and his family received support from the Salvation Army, which prompted her affiliation with the organization she has now been involved with for 17 years.

“In the 1930s, right after the Depression, they benefited from the Salvation Army, and received Christmas gifts and things,” Senko said. “I thought that was really cool. … I started coordinating groups of my friends to ring bells at different locations on a Saturday night, and then we’d come back to my house for a party. Now, my husband and I still do it, and we still have the party, but I charge people to come over and we donate the money to the organization. I’ve been told … that we bring in as much as they do at a (prime) location after a whole day’s ringing.”

Senko is proud of the assistance that she, her husband and their friends give to the organization, because of the incredible work it does.

“I know that they have a very low overhead, and the money you collect and donate goes to the community, and every community needs help right now,” Senko said.

Interested bell-ringers can visit www.ringbell.org, which is accessible through the Michigan Salvation Army’s main Web site, www. salmich.org, and select preferences for volunteering.

“It’s the best tool ever,” Senko said. “You can sign up for a two-hour shift, and that’s not so bad — almost anybody can do that. You go and key in your ZIP code and you can pick your date, your time and your location. It’s really easy.”

For more information, in addition to visiting the Web site, call (877) SAL-MICH, or (877) 725-6424.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennie Miller at jmiller@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1108.