The Salvation Army will be ringing the holiday bells outside of City Market during the week and Walmart on the weekends this holiday season, but according to Tammy Workman, the organization needs volunteers in a big way this year.

Workman, who has worked as a coordinator for Salvation Army in Craig and ringing the bell for 5 years now, says that the Salvation Army is planning on ringing bells from November 27 through December 24 this year, but the dates are tentative due to a lack of volunteers this year, largely due to the coronavirus keeping people away.

The shifts are the same every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Workman says that the average shift is one to two hours, but some people will volunteer longer. Workman said that she has gotten calls so far this season for people volunteering for 2 or 3 hours a day, and said she is very appreciative, however, of those who do only give her an hour.

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In order to sign up for the bell ringing, Workman says to call her at 970-620-1255. When a volunteer does call to sign up for a bell ringing shift, Workman said they are informed of the policies and guidelines that the CDC has laid out, including wearing a mask, and socially distancing.

Workman also said that the bell and the kettle is consistently wiped down. She is hoping for a bounce back year this year after raising $15,800, down from the yearly average of $16,000. According to Workman, the money stays in the Moffat County for the most part, except for sometimes helping people out in Rio Blanco County.

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Workman complimented the community for being so giving every year, which is part of why she enjoys it so much and keeps coming back.

“Our community is so supporting. I do want to stress that and I do thank everybody in our community and just seeing everybody, the little kids, everybody loves to put the money in the kettle,” Workman said. “It’s just so rewarding that people do give through this time of year.”  

moneill@craigdailypress.com