Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome back. Halloween is over. We're into November. So now it's full on about the holidays at the Quincy Salvation army, where it is every year, really, and every time throughout the year. So Captain Adam Boynton has stopped by to tell us a bit about this year's drive for their upcoming breakfast and the holiday kettles. Great to see you, Captain. Thanks for coming over.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: Thanks for having me.
[00:00:20] Speaker A: Yeah. I know you get center stage during the holidays, but the Salvation army is there year round for folks, right?
[00:00:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Every day we're there, we don't close.
[00:00:31] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
But this is probably, what would you say, the busiest time of year for you?
[00:00:36] Speaker B: Certainly, yeah. Between fundraising and then the holiday service division, it keeps us pretty busy.
[00:00:41] Speaker A: Absolutely. So two major things we want to talk about today. Right. Number one is the kickoff breakfast for the kettle campaign.
And number two is getting folks to help you ring the bell this year.
[00:00:52] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. We're always looking for volunteers to help ring the bell, help raise money.
[00:00:56] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. So let's talk about the breakfast, first of all, if we can.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: Yeah. So we have our annual Kittle Kickoff breakfast. It's on November 14th. It's nice, bright early in the morning, but we have it at the Terrell Room and there's a nice hot breakfast and some coffee waiting.
One of the things that we get to do is to celebrate the work that the Salvation army has been able to do, what we've been able to see through people's lives through our social services programming, through our food pantry, through our youth services as well, to tell the story.
So we, last year we heard from one of our clients who was a senior citizen who had lost their job and him and his wife, through health complications and all these things, were living in their car.
But through the help from the social workers at the Salvation army, were able to get into a stable apartment, were able to kind of get back on their feet. And so these are one of the many stories of people that get to engage with the Salvation army. And then we get to also honor people that have gone out of their way to give of themselves, not just to the Salvation army, but to the larger community.
So we each year we give out a Henry Bosworth Award, named for the former editor of the Quincy Sun. He was just an ardent supporter of the Salvation Army. He started our community leader kettle, which if you ever see people down in Hancock street, and as you have rang the bell there, we get to see civic leaders and business leaders go downtown and ring the bell. And his son, Bob Bosworth, who' the Current editor of the sun, has been able to keep that going. And so through his legacy, through his commitment to the Salvation army, he served on our advisory board for decades. We wanted to honor his memory and also honor that level of commitment to service to the community.
And so our honoree this year is Christine Koch. She worked for the Salvation army for a number of years old daycare center, running the old Sunshine Preschool.
And since she moved on, she has still been a great supporter, working with our advisory board, coordinating different bell ringers, finding different opportunities, helping us secure locations when we do our holiday distribution, when we give out hundreds of food boxes to seniors in the area.
And just throughout the year, she's been a great support and obviously is very active in her support of the community. So we were grateful that she was willing to accept that honor. And. And we look forward to being able to celebrate. I got to go through a lot of the old pictures that we have at the Salvation army and see some of the kids who still interact with the Salvation Army. And she has told me she sees kids around graduating high school that she worked with in the preschool just to see the investment that the youth programming can give and then the investment that she continues to give. So we're glad to honor that and we're looking forward to it. It's going to be a great morning.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: That's very nice. And this is open to the public, right? This is. This is something that folks can attend.
[00:03:58] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a ticketed event, so it's $40 for a ticket. And there is still time for event sponsors.
So we have, through our sponsorships, if you ever see the signs outside of the stores that say the Salvation army on them, many of them at the bottom have sponsors listed. So if there's corporate sponsors, we have people that give to certain amounts and they are supporting the Salvation army financially and also partnering with us that people can see that they've supported in.
That all goes for the breakfast. And it goes throughout the season. So this really kicks off the reason it's a kickoff breakfast. It kicks off our fundraising effort and also allows us to raise some additional funds when maybe we couldn't do that as much ringing the bell these days, right?
[00:04:42] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you have a goal for the breakfast, Adam?
[00:04:44] Speaker B: So our goal for the breakfast is $60,000.
[00:04:47] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:04:47] Speaker B: Last year we raised 45. And so we're still a little short. We're still $20,000 short. We're 2/3 of the way there, but we got two weeks to go.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:04:55] Speaker B: So we're still definitely looking for sponsors. And we'd love to see more people come out to the breakfast. It's at the Terrell Room in Quincy. And the food's great, the people are great and even though it's early in the morning, there's plenty of smiling people. And this is going to be our third time doing it and the last two years have been fantastic.
[00:05:14] Speaker A: Oh, very good. Do you remember who your past recipients.
[00:05:16] Speaker B: Were of the Bosworth Award?
Our first recipient was Bob Bosworth. As he has continually through the sun, through his work with the community, Litter Kettle has taken on that mantle of service to the salvation.
So we were, I was beyond pleased to be able to start that award with honoring his father's legacy and his continued service. Makes sense. And last year one of the local, we honored a company, one of the local companies, Clean Harbor. So you probably see their trucks going around each year. They have been extremely generous to us. They do a huge toy drive for our, for our family toy distribution. And so we pull up a truck and the employees load it up. And every year it has been one of the pillars of our ability to serve the community in that way.
So we had a table full of employees from Clean harbor and this year it's Christine Koch.
[00:06:14] Speaker A: Very Good. Again. Friday, November 14th, 7:30 in the morning. Program starts at 8. About how long does the whole program?
[00:06:21] Speaker B: Well, we're usually done by 8:30. Everyone's got to go to work. So it's a good time to get breakfast, coffee and then get on with your day.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: Okay. Reach out to, to you. Right. Either through phone, email or website.
[00:06:33] Speaker B: Yeah, Our website is establishedarmyma.org Quincy and that first card there is going to lead you to that website where you can buy tickets or purchase sponsorships or you can always call or email. And I'll get back to you quickly to get you there.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: Sure. And at the door, will they be available?
[00:06:51] Speaker B: Yeah, there's some limited availability at the door. And so it's $40. Some people will show up and write a check or our paper at the day and then there's going to be a little miniature version of our red kettle at every table. Of course. So if people want to donate more there, we definitely won't say no.
[00:07:10] Speaker A: Sure, absolutely. And did the funds raised at the breakfast go specifically for the Red Kettle campaign?
[00:07:14] Speaker B: Yeah. So all of the funds that we raised throughout the holidays go to support our year round work. So we do have our holiday assistance, we do have the food boxes, we do have the toy distribution. But these funds really help support our food Pantry, our social services, our youth programming, our. All throughout the year.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: Okay, very good. And then after that, it's full on volunteers for bell ringing, right?
[00:07:35] Speaker B: It's full on ringing the bell starts.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: The next day, right?
[00:07:37] Speaker B: Yep. And so that's a sound that if you go shopping in November and December, you know it.
[00:07:41] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: But it's a vital way for us to raise those funds. And so you'll see us out and about in the community.
So if you see us, if you don't have cash, if you remember us when you're on your phone, or you can donate there, and if you do change cash, however, everything helps.
And so if you see a kettle and you want to drop some money in there, please, if you have some time. Some people don't always have money to give, but they have a little bit of time. We're always looking for bell ringers.
So we largely, our best bell ringers are our volunteer bell ringers. And so we need those people to go out. And even if they give a couple hours of their time, it's cold. But it's always a good experience. I always have a positive experience when I'm out there ringing the bell or playing my instrument or doing whatever to raise money. You get to hear people's stories, how the salvage army impacted their lives, the things that they've been able to do.
And you never know who you're going to meet. So it's always a positive, fun experience. And the funds raised, they help local people. So all the money that we raise serves Quincy residents.
[00:08:48] Speaker A: Sure. Do you know about how many locations right now that you have?
[00:08:51] Speaker B: So we raise money throughout the county, and we have about.
When all things are going, it's about 15 to 20, and so it'll ramp up slowly. You'll see us out at the Walmarts first, and you'll see us at some grocery stores and then as it's going. And so when we're out there for about eight to 10 hours a day, that's a lot of hours to fill. So there's just about any time. If you think that we don't need help, just know that we do.
[00:09:19] Speaker A: You do?
[00:09:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: You'll find a spot.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Just because you see someone out there then doesn't mean that someone's always out there.
And we're out there all day. And so it's sometimes challenging to match up with people's schedules as people work and they get home late.
But as people have availability, that's always been a huge help to us to collect money by ringing the bell.
[00:09:40] Speaker A: Yeah. And I know you try as much as possible to make it as convenient for the volunteers as possible in terms of locations.
[00:09:47] Speaker B: Yes. And so I always say volunteers, you know, if you're coming to volunteer, I'm going to give you as good of a spot as I've got available at the day that works out best for you. And then however we can sort it out, and then I'll be there with a smiling face ready to get you ringing.
[00:10:03] Speaker A: Right. So it kicks off November 15th. And how long does it run?
[00:10:07] Speaker B: So we go, it goes Monday through Saturday from November 15th all the way to Christmas Eve without Thanksgiving. So we're not out there on Thanksgiving. We don't ring on Sundays. But all of those days is about 30 days in total.
And so you'll see us there all the way up through December20.
[00:10:24] Speaker A: Okay. All right. And the goal this year, Adam?
[00:10:26] Speaker B: The goal this year is $120,000. We raised 114 last year. And so we're raising that goal to see if we can continue to support the work of the Salvation Army.
[00:10:38] Speaker A: Sure. Yeah. And who can be a bell ringer? Can it be students as well?
[00:10:42] Speaker B: Yeah, we definitely have high school students.
There's a lot of high school students that need to get volunteer hours, whether it's school involvement or honor societies. And so we've had a number of high school students come and ring the bell. If they're 14 or older, they can usually ring the bell by themselves, but my kids go out every year and they're much younger, so they just need an adult with them.
[00:11:03] Speaker A: Okay, all right, very good. And is there, like a training process?
[00:11:08] Speaker B: Well, I'll usually reach out and I'll just kind of tell you how it goes. We have a couple of do's and don'ts, but I often tell people it is what it looks like. You're ringing the bell, you're smiling at everybody and you're saying, thank you, have a nice day. Happy thank Thanksgiving. Happy holidays.
Just being nice and ringing the bell. If you keep ringing, you're doing good.
[00:11:29] Speaker A: There's no mystery to it, right?
[00:11:30] Speaker B: No, no, it is, like I said, it is what it looks like.
[00:11:32] Speaker A: It's very much grassroots. Yeah, for sure.
We should talk a little bit about. The Salvation army also has a very active food pantry.
[00:11:40] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:11:40] Speaker A: And I'm sure you're seeing an increased need given the current federal government shutdown and the SNAP benefits are on pause now. So folks are anxious about that, I'm sure.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: Yeah. We've been preparing alongside of the other food pantries in the city to rece.
Some people are anxious about utilizing a food pantry for the first time. And we often tell everybody everyone has different needs and different avenues on how they meet those needs. And the food pantry is just another tool to get people to self sufficiency. And so we're open Mondays through Fridays. We're open in the morning from 9 to 11:30. If you're a Quincy resident, you just need to come and they'll get you all signed up and tell you what else you will need for the next time. But we want to make sure that we're.
The Greater Boston Food bank has increased how much food that they've been able to give us. And so we're doing our best to make sure that we have enough for everyone.
And so if you have a need, our goal is to get you with some basic staples so that you can afford the rest, whether it's rice or pasta or we're able to give out some produce, which we're very glad about.
And so we want to make sure that people don't feel any sort of way about coming to the food pantry and knowing that we're there.
[00:13:02] Speaker A: Are you seeing an increased need? Have you seen it?
[00:13:05] Speaker B: We've certainly seen an increased need over time in Quincy over the last.
This is my fifth year here and we've increased year over year for need.
And since it's the beginning of the month now, so we're just bracing for what may be. There's people that have called additionally about how to utilize the food pantry, but we've tried to be pretty proactive alongside of the city and the other food pantries on telling people how they can get these benefits.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: Yes. Okay. The real issue I know is getting the food from Boston to Quincy, right?
[00:13:38] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:13:39] Speaker A: Believe it or not.
[00:13:40] Speaker B: So the benefit of food pantries and when I talk to people about donating money is that food pantries often have access through food banks like the Greater Boston Food bank at getting food extremely cheap. And oftentimes it costs us little to nothing to get food from the food bank. The only cost is getting it from the food bank to us.
So it costs a few hundred dollars to get the truck and the driver to get the food to us. We get a few deliveries each month. And so when you see something that says $5 can get you a bag of groceries, it's often because the food pantries have access to those services. However, there's the cost of getting it there and keeping that food pantry open.
[00:14:20] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:14:21] Speaker B: So we often encourage people and I'VE been encouraging people personally to. If you don't have staples that you can give and you have the impulse to go to the store and buy something, maybe whatever you're going to spend at the store may be a better use giving a financial contribution to that local food pantry because they can stretch it a lot further. That dollar just goes further.
And some people worry about exactly where their dollar goes. And these days and these times, I can assure you that the food pantries that we work with in the city, people are. They're actively trying to make sure that they have enough food and enough resources to meet the need.
[00:15:02] Speaker A: Yeah. I'm sure you're concerned about the holidays coming up, meeting that need as well. Thanksgiving, Christmas.
[00:15:07] Speaker B: Yeah, we're even doing our current sign ups in. Year over year we've had more families and we've seen upwards of 700 families come and get food boxes.
And if I did the numbers off the top of my head, I could probably say it's 2,000 or 3,000 households in Quincy are likely to use a food pantry. If not ours, then you have interfaith or St. John's or QCAP that people are in need one way or another to just get them across the finish line.
[00:15:38] Speaker A: Right? Yeah. Well, that's what the SNAP program was. It's not meant to completely subsidize their grocery bill. It's supplemented the figures from the state released last week. Over 16,000 households in Quincy receive monthly SNAP benefits. Households. So that can be more than 16,000 people?
[00:15:54] Speaker B: Oh, yes, certainly. Certainly a lot of young families, as you know that there's that people are along their career trajectory when they have young kids. They may have lesser paying jobs and things are expensive, especially with childcare costs and the like. So some people will utilize a food pantry for a time.
[00:16:14] Speaker A: Right. Do you need other volunteer opportunities in the food pantry, Adam?
[00:16:18] Speaker B: Yeah. So if you want to volunteer for the food pantry, just give us a call at the office and we'll get you signed up. We background check all of our volunteers that are in the building. And so there's volunteer opportunities for whether it's unloading the truck when the food comes in, packing the bags, interfacing with the clients, getting the food. We have a lot of senior citizens that come through, so if they drive sometimes they need additional assistance getting the food into their car. There's plenty of ways that you can serve.
[00:16:42] Speaker A: Okay, great. And again, the Kettle Kickoff Breakfast is Friday, November 14th at the Terrell Room. Right after that it's the Kettle campaign.
[00:16:51] Speaker B: And we're off and rigging.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Thanks for stopping by, Adam. Great to see.
[00:16:54] Speaker B: Thank you for having me.
[00:16:54] Speaker A: You are very welcome.
