At kettle drive kickoff, from l., are: Kearny Corps soldier Michael Hislop Jr., Corps secretary Evelyn Hopler, Corps advisory board chairwoman Ellie Nakrosis,
Corps Commanding Offi cers Lts. Seoyoung and Hwang Lim, Mayor Alberto Santos and Town Council members Susan McCurrie and Marytrine DeCastro.
KEARNY –
The Salvation Army of Greater Kearny, providing religious and social services for needy residents of Kearny, Harrison, East Newark, North Arlington and Lyndhurst, is seeking more volunteers for its annual Red Kettle Campaign, launched last week in ceremonies held in front of Kearny Town Hall.
It hopes to raise $59,000 in this season’s campaign to support Christmas programs and services across the state, throughout the entire year.
Last year, it fell just short of the goal of $43,000, according to members of the Salvation Army of Greater Kearny’s advisory board.
During 2014, the Greater Kearny unit said it provided some form of assistance to about 6,300 people in its service area, including holiday assistance, music and art classes and summer camp for children, ESL/citizenship programs, holiday toys and gifts for kids and the elderly and more than 1,000 bags of food.
“We find hungry, lonely and needy people, not just during the winter, but throughout all seasons. Your effort to help others extends far and beyond your expectations. Please join us to make this winter extra warm with The Salvation Army doing the most good for our community,” said Lts. Hwang and Seoyoung Lim, Corps Commanding Officers for Greater Kearny.
As part of a Thanksgiving offering, the Greater Kearny unit last week distributed bags each filled with a four-day supply of meals consisting of turkeys, chickens, fish, milk, eggs, cherries, cereal, rice and pasta to 115 needy families, of whom 60% were from Kearny.
For the Christmas holiday, 253 area families will receive bundles containing new clothing and toys on Dec. 18 at the Greater Kearny offices on Chestnut St.
Meanwhile, Greater Kearny Salvation Army officers and advisory board members are joining with people from local service clubs, students and area businesses to volunteer as kettle collectors at 10 locations in front of various supermarkets in the Greater Kearny area between now and Christmas Eve.
Kettles will be stationed at Walmart, 1215 Harrison Ave., K-mart, 200 Passaic Ave., Shop-Rite, 100 Passaic Ave., and Seabra, 180 Schuyler Ave., all in Kearny; K-mart, 411 Main St., Shop-Rite, 726 Washington Ave., and Fine Fare, 412 Main St., all in Belleville; Shop-Rite, 540 New York Ave., and Stop & Shop, 425 Lewandowski St., both in Lyndhurst; and Jack’s Foodtown, 1 Schuyler Ave., in North Arlington.
To supplement volunteers, The Greater Kearny unit has also retained 22 hirees to monitor kettle stations at $8.38 an hour for up to 40 hours per week, according to the advisory board.
“There’s a rumor that’s been circulating that should be squelched now,” cautioned advisory board member Lillian Russell. “Some people have been saying that if you get hired to mind a kettle, you pay $200 and you get to keep the contents of the bucket. That’s simply not true.”
It was pointed out by a corps officer that each kettle is kept locked and that when the day’s collections are completed, the buckets are turned over to the customer service representative at each supermarket for safekeeping until a representative of the Salvation Army arrives to pick up the buckets. Only the Salvation Army personnel have a key to open the bucket, the officer said.
Evelyn Hopler, the Greater Kearny unit corps secretary, said that she volunteers for the kettle drive “for the glory of God. Our church gives to us and we want to give back.” Advisory Board Chairwoman Ellie Nakrosis, whose husband designed the Greater Kearny facility, added that, “I’ve been blessed and I want to give back to the people what I’ve been blessed with.”
Said Russell: “The Salvation Army is one group that really gives the most back.”
Anyone interested in serving as a kettle volunteer is invited to call the Greater Kearny office at 201-991-1115, Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Volunteers are needed Monday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
