The giving never stops in Austin.

Friday, November 24, 2000

The giving never stops in Austin.

The United Way of Mower County, Inc. fund drive is near its $625,000 goal.

The Hormel Foods Corp. and Hormel Foundation have each pledged $1 million for the $4.2 million Wescott Athletic Field renovation project.

Food drives throughout Mower County helped the Salvation Army Austin Corps distribute over 120 Thanksgiving food boxes and feed over 200 people Thursday.

Now, Austin and greater Mower County are being asked to give more.

The Salvation Army’s holiday fund drive begins today. The goal: $92,800.

A year ago, the Salvation Army raised $87,000 to fund its year-end holiday gestures for the needy.

The challenges are on

The seasonal appearances began this morning, when the Tree of Lights was lit by members of the Austin Shrine Club and Osman Temple Band.

Mower County Commissioner Ray Tucker and Austin Mayor Bonnie Rietz are dueling on behalf of the Salvation Army today.

From 10 a.m. to noon, Tucker and Rietz will be ringing bells to appeal to the generosity of shoppers. Whoever collects the most in the traditional Salvation Army red kettle wins a friendly wager between the two public officials.

Mower County Sheriff Barry J. Simonson and Austin Police Chief Paul M. Philipp are also challenging each other to raise the most money in the kettle drive.

Target Store Austin will host the Salvation Army’s Stocking Tree project, where shoppers can select a needy family to receive presents at Christmastime. A similar project, the Angel Tree, will seek the same generous efforts from shoppers at OakPark Mall, Austin.

Jim Middleton, the Salvation Army’s property manager, is in charge of this year’s kettle drive.

"We will have bellringers at eight different locations this year," Middleton said. "They will be at OakPark Mall, HyVee, Shopko, Target, Big K Store, Cash Wise Food and Drug, Jim’s Super Valu and Main Street in the Sterling Shopping Center."

"We need more volunteers to make the seasonal fund drive a success," Middleton said. "The kettle drive is so important to our fund-raising efforts. If we don’t get volunteers, we have to hire the bellringers."

Shifts are available in two hour increments or the 3-hour, 6-9 p.m. shift that concludes each day.

"There are always plenty of needs out there," said Major Doug Yeck, officer in charge of the Salvation Army Austin Corps. "Toys, food, clothing and other items for the needy. We will do our best to meet them."

According to Yeck, the kettle drive and a direct mail appeal are the two largest sources of funds for the Salvation Army at Christmastime. "We appreciate all the people who volunteer as bellringers," Yeck said. "They are performing a valuable task. The Christmas appeal is our largest fund-raiser of the year, so a lot is depending upon our efforts."

The deadline for applying for Christmas assistance from the Salvation Army is December 8, according to Lori Espe, volunteers and programs director.

The boxes of food and presents will be packed for distribution beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20, at the Salvation Army community center.

Then, the Christmas baskets and presents from the Salvation Army will be distributed Thursday, Dec. 21, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

"We’ll need volunteers for the packing on December 20, too, and welcome clubs, groups, churches and individuals to come and help us," Espe said.

According to Yeck and Espe, this year’s Christmas needs are exacerbated by the summer’s floods, when families lost all their personal possessions.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration helped flood victims with uninsured losses. Now, the Austin Area Interfaith Disaster Response is attempting to fill the gaps left by FEMA and SBA grants and loans.

"We know there are still people out there will losses that haven’t been met, so we expect the requests for help at Christmastime to be larger than usual," Yeck said.

Anyone interested in assisting the Salvation Army in any way may call Espe at 437-4566.