By Tom Bruin | Archuleta County Salvation Army
Beginning on Friday, Nov. 25, and ending on Christmas Eve at the Pagosa Springs City Market, you will find a hearty crew of volunteers, greeting you with a smile, cheerfully ringing a bell and hoping to entice busy shoppers to deposit a donation of spare change or bills into our iconic red kettle.
Every penny helps, and all of the funds deposited in that kettle during our short fundraising season stay right here in Archuleta County, being deployed to serve one of the most important aspects of the Salvation Army mission: to meet human needs.
In Archuleta County, the Salvation Army operates as an all-volunteer organization. And although we operate under the umbrella of the regional office in Denver, it is the local volunteers here that work with other local charitable organizations to identify needs and help with financial support. All decision making is local and because the needs in Archuleta County are ever-changing, our support can be flexible and fluid to help where it is needed most.
In the past couple of years, the Archuleta Salvation Army has helped support local food pantries, supported emergency shelter needs, provided assistance with prescription medications, assisted with alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs, assisted with newborn and family-oriented programs, among so many more things.
We are blessed that, each year, 20 or so local organizations, churches and businesses pledge their members to staff the kettle. We also have many individuals who volunteer on their own. Bell ringing runs from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. each weekday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. If you have an interest in serving as a volunteer bell ringer — even just an hour would be a big help — please contact Tom Bruin at (224) 730-7910.
