MARYSVILLE At the same time the CEO of Wal-Mart was handing out a $1 million check on Nov. 27, Wal-Mart stores across the country began the familiar Red Kettle Campaign to benefit The Salvation Army.
At the Quil Ceda Village Wal-Mart, Mayor Dennis Kendall served as a guest bell-ringer to help usher in the holiday tradition.
The start of the campaign was timed nationwide to coincide with the presentation of Wal-Marts donation to The Salvation Army, which took place in Battle Creek, Mich. That means Kendall took his spot outside the Marysvilles store bright and early, about 8:30 a.m.
Kendall helped raise $62. Wal-Mart matched that amount.
Speaking at a meeting of the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce, Capt. Dana Libby of the Everett Corps of The Salvation Army said the red kettles and, perhaps more importantly, the ringing bells, are an important tradition.
To some people, that just sounds like Christmas, Libby said.
The local Salvation Army sponsored the latest chamber meeting in honor of the start of the Red Kettle Campaign.
Libby said he could tell many stories of how the Salvation Army has helped those on the edge of disaster.
One story he mentioned involved a local woman who had somehow ended up living on the porch of a house she once owned. After meeting with a Salvation Army counselor, she now has permanent housing and a full-time job. Most importantly, shes been reunited with her teenage son, who has re-entered high school.
Wal-Marts ongoing partnership with The Salvation Army is an invaluable support to our organization, and therefore, to those individuals and families that we serve at Christmas-time and year-round, Salvation Army Commissioner Israel Gaither said in a press release.
The Salvation Army has mounted the Red Kettle Campaign outside Wal-Marts nationwide for more than 20 years.