Bell ringers make generosity merry

Kids an integral part for one jolly worker

MOSES LAKE — "May that turkey have six legs this year."

So says Don Majors in thanks after a donation from a customer as he sits outside the Food Pavilion Monday afternoon, ringing his bell when he's not squeezing a heated packet to keep his fingers warm from the cold.

Salvation Army bell ringers took up their posts Nov. 18 to gather funds for the holiday season.

Coordinator Sharon Brown said she has about 23 bell ringers in the Moses Lake/Ephrata area. Bell ringers are paid for their time, between $7.35 and $7.50 an hour. The amount of donations they bring in varies depending on the site, and the total ranges between $500 to $700 a night. They will be working until Dec. 23.

"The money that they are collecting is to help out the needy families in the community," Brown said, noting that the main office in Seattle is earmarking funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Majors has been ringing a bell for the Salvation Army for two years. He got started, he said, because he was "confined to a wheelchair and had nothing to do," when a friend mentioned the possibility to him. He's always liked the Salvation Army.

"I did it last year, and I enjoyed it so much," he said, noting that he likes doling out candy canes to passing children. It also entices their mothers to drop in a few dollar bills, he added, and means the children remember him, even though Monday he hadn't gotten hold of any canes just yet.

"This year, I've felt bad, because some of the little kids have come by and they are looking, like they are expecting from last year," he said. "But I love doing that. I love kids. I'm old, all my kids are grown, and I've got grandkids and great-grandkids who might come by. I've got great-grandkids I don't even recognize, it's been that many years, but it's something to do."

A resident of Moses Lake for three years, Majors said he likes to meet people.

"The Salvation Army has always been good about helping people without demanding everything back with interest," he said. "It does go for a good cause. People should watch for some of those places that don't allow the guys to come in and ring the bell. You don't have to put anything in it, but some of them will argue so much … and they gripe about even a charity, putting the bell out here for the Salvation Army. Well, they're doing good for people."

Majors said he would like to tell people to do their shopping at places which do allow bell ringers.

"If they don't believe in having the little bell ringer out here who's not hurting anybody, then, hey fine, they don't have the Christmas spirit," he said. "If you're out buying Christmas turkey, you're buying a Thanksgiving meal, why don't you go buy it somewhere else? Buy it where they do want to do something for somebody else. That's always good."

The kids are Majors' favorite part of the bell ringer experience. He says he spends half of the money he is paid for ringing the bell on candy, and finds it fun to be able to do something for them. For him, that's worth all the pay in the world, he says.

"Last year, this lady came by and she says, 'You are the closest thing to a Santa I've come into,'" he recalled, remembering that she had a little boy who wanted to see Santa quite badly. Majors agreed, and greeted the boy while his mother stood back a little ways.

"He mentioned what he wanted was this particular set," Majors said. "I think it was a train set of some kind, but it had a name to it, something I wouldn't know about, Spider-Man's Super-Duper Whatever."

Even though Majors did not know what it was, he said the woman nodded to indicate that the boy would be receiving that gift.

"I said, 'Well, other than that one time, you've been a pretty good boy, haven't you?'" Majors recalled. " 'Oh, you know about that?' And I said, 'But I know you've been good ever since. I think you can look for it this year. I'll talk to Santa. I'm sure you're going to get it. But you don't tell Santa I said so and don't tell Momma.' His eyes were so big, and he waved good-bye, this little tyke. Something in it just builds you up for your whole day."