VC Star Bellringer campaign to help lift spirits as storefront fundraising pauses

Editor's note: Since publication of this article, the Salvation Army has been informed their ringers can put out their kettles in Ventura County this week. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there just aren’t going to be any Salvation Army red kettles out in front of your favorite Ventura County storefronts this year. You won’t be hearing the bell ringer signaling that special time of year. Yet, the need has never been greater.

The pandemic doesn’t care what car you drive, what neighborhood you live in or how big your bank account is. It is an equal opportunity disease and it has not only devastated hundreds of thousands with regard to health, it has financially damaged many millions more.

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A lot of those who have been financially hurt by COVID-19 live in Ventura County. They’re our neighbors, they are our own family, they are people who this time last year were thinking of giving to that red kettle they would see out in front of their favorite store when they were Christmas shopping. They were the ones reaching out with a helping hand.

COVID got in their way. But The Salvation Army and the Ventura County Star have a plan to get in COVID’s way this Christmas. Through the Ventura County Star Bellringer campaign, the hope is to replace the lost revenue from the traditional kettles and keep Ventura County families fed, with a roof over their heads and toys under the tree on Christmas morning.

The question may be: What is the price of a smile on a child’s face this Christmas? When people give to the Ventura County Star’s Bellringer campaign, they will be part of a tradition that began in 1979 and continues to impact the lives of county residents. Last year, the Bellringer campaign provided Christmas toys for 2,000 children and food for the holiday season for 550 families. This year, the need will be even greater.

The money donated through the Bellringer campaign will be used by The Salvation Army throughout the county, to put food on the table for struggling families, a roof over the head of a woman looking for a fresh start and yes, it will help put a smile on a little child’s face when he opens that special gift from Santa under the family Christmas tree.

Please donate online at https://give-cas.salvationarmy.org/campaign/2020-julius-gius-bellringer-campaign-by-ventura-county-star/c311733 or mail donations to: Bellringer Campaign, The Salvation Army, Attn: Nola Grunden, 155 South Oak Street, Ventura CA 93001. You may include a note that will be printed in the paper each week as a dedication or memorial for your gift.