‘Be the Light’ story series: Donors explain reasons for giving
Our Be the Light story series highlights people in Minnesota and North Dakota who give to The Salvation Army and those whose lives are brighter thanks to your support. This Christmas season, you can Be the Light in somebody’s life by giving a donation, signing up to volunteer, or ringing bells at a Red Kettle.
People give to The Salvation Army for all kinds of reasons. Some drop money into Red Kettles to spread Christmas joy. Others give to memorialize a loved one who once was helped by The Salvation Army.
Still others donate because they know The Salvation Army is an efficient steward of their hard-earned money, with 83 cents of every dollar donated going directly to services.
The people below give to The Salvation Army for incredible reasons. They are just a few of The Salvation Army Northern Division’s thousands of donors whose generosity provides life-changing services for people throughout Minnesota and North Dakota.
Linda
Linda of Lindstrom, Minn., donates because The Salvation Army saved her family during the Great Depression.
Linda grew up miserably poor in Superior, Wis., in a home that did not have electricity. Her parents couldn’t even afford toilet paper for their outhouse, instead using pages from a Sears & Roebuck catalogue.
The family’s saving grace was their local Salvation Army, where they attended church every week and received resources to get them through hard times.
“We didn’t have indoor plumbing or much else in the line of comfort, but we had something better – The Salvation Army,” Linda wrote in Just a Soldier, a self-published memoir.
The Salvation Army in Superior was located in the heart of the city and sandwiched between two bars. There, Linda learned to shine brightly in a world full of darkness.
“We could be lights wherever we were, and a good place to start was right there between those two taverns,” Linda wrote.
Linda went on to become a school teacher and flight attendant. She and her husband are retired and have three kids, four grandkids, and one great grandchild.
Robert
Robert of Hugo, Minn., donates because The Salvation Army has been in his family’s blood for four generations.
It started with Robert’s great grandfather, a Dutch sailor who was saved from addiction after The Salvation Army led him to God. He later became a Salvation Army officer.
Next was Robert’s grandparents, Sarah and Howard, who met during World War II while Sara was a Salvation Army “Donut Girl” – a female Salvation Army volunteer who provided comfort to soldiers battling on the front lines. The couple later married and became Salvation Army officers.
Finally, Robert’s parents met at a Salvation Army church in New Jersey and were married for 50 years.
Robert regularly went to church with his parents and attended a Salvation Army summer camp throughout his childhood.
“They had music, campfires and sports – it was always the highlight of my summer,” Robert said.
He is a lifelong donor because he has witnessed firsthand how serious The Salvation Army is about helping people in the name of Jesus Christ, without descrimination.
“I know from experience that The Salvation Army is who they say they are,” Robert said.
This Christmas season, you can Be the Light in somebody’s life by providing food, shelter and care for people in need. Join us today by giving a donation, signing up to volunteer, or ringing bells at a Red Kettle.