On every Friday and Saturday, from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas, the Salvation Army bell ringers with the hanging red kettles will be standing outside Walmart and Smith’s Food & Drug encouraging shoppers to share with those less fortunate. In Bridger Valley, the Salvation Army has a stand at Benedict’s Grocery and Sterling Fairbourn organizes volunteers who monitor the donation kettle.

The Uinta County Interfaith Association sponsors the Uinta County Salvation Army Service Extension.  Member Roy Walworth said, “I’m the oldest guy in the outfit that keeps it all together.”

The local Salvation Army bell ringers are all volunteers and the LDS church schedules volunteers for all the Fridays and other church and civic groups manage the Saturday schedules.  The volunteers ring the bell for two-hour shifts and the red kettle drive runs from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Walworth was counting the weekend’s donations when he was interviewed and he said they usually receive around $2,000 to $3,000 weekly, which includes the Bridger Valley donations for an annual total of approximately $15,000.  A crew of volunteers usually helps with the counting and the money is deposited in a bank account that is managed by the Intermountain Division Office of the Salvation Army in Denver, Colorado.

“We had a dramatic incident some years past when we found a $50.00 gold piece in the donation kettle,” Walworth said. “That was pretty exciting; it was valued at close to $1,500 then.  I took it to Roger and Gordon Cazin and they gave the Salvation Army market value for the piece. The local community has been very supportive and generous and we are grateful.”

The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 in London, England, by minister William Booth and his wife Catherine.  Booth was adverse to preaching in a church where the poor and destitute could not attend so he took his message of salvation to them in the streets.  Within ten years, over 1,000 volunteers and evangelists had joined Booth and they called the group, “The Christian Mission.”  In 1878, Booth saw in an annual financial report someone had written, “the Christian Mission is a volunteer army” and he changed the name of the foundation to the Salvation Army. Between 1881 and 1885, the Salvation Army converted more than 250,000 Christians and are now organized all over the world and in 100 countries.

The mission of the Salvation Army is to provide help for immediate problems.  Locally, Walworth said the most common need is for phone cards, gasoline for vehicles and help with utility bills.  The process for receiving help is with a personal interview to determine the level and type of need.  The maximum amount of assistance per family is $150.00 per year.

“We fill a need for people who fall through the cracks for government assistance,” Walworth said. “They may not be eligible for state or federal assistance.  We also cooperate with Rocky Mountain Power in advising people to apply for the company’s assistance program.”

For those needing assistance from the Salvation Army, the hours are 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays at 937 Sage Street in Evanston.  The phone number is 307-708-0565. For Bridger Valley residents, Walworth said, if they call the phone number they will receive instructions on how to reach help.