Major Rick Starkey has math on his mind.
It’s a simple equation that he thinks about as he struggles to get bell ringers stationed at Salvation Army Kettles around the community.
With a shortage of seasonal employees to ring the kettle bells, Starkey said he has had to rely more on volunteers this year.
“It’s a struggle for us to find people,” he said.
The math on his mind a simple equation: each kettle collects $300 per day. If two kettles are down for 10 days, that’s $6,000 that’s not being collected.
“Almost every day, we’ve had a spot or two available,” he said.
This year’s goal is to collect $95,000 and as of last week, the organization was about $3,000 off last year’s pace.
“We have nine days left to make $30,000,” he said.
If the organization comes up short of its goal, the food pantry might have fewer items to give out, or the amount of money that helps people pay their electric bills over the winter could be less.
If they had more volunteers they might be able to squeak by, Starkey said.
As tight as things are in Concord, Starkey said people here are always generous. Other communities, like Derry, are $12,000 to $15,000 behind where they were last year, he said. Thankfully, the week before Christmas is when donations are strongest.
“We’re pretty confident we’ll get to our goal,” Starkey said.
On Friday, Starkey got a little volunteer help from one of New Hampshire’s most visible people – Gov. Chris Sununu, who helped out at the Storrs Street Market Basket
At it peak, the Salvation Army has 10 kettles stationed around the Concord area in seven locations. They are: Concord’s Walmart, Sam’s Club, Market Basket supermarkets on Fort Eddy Road and Storrs Street, the New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlet on Storrs Street, Shaws on D’Amante Drive and the Market Basket in Warner. Some of the busiest locations, like the Market Basket on Fort Eddy Road, get a kettle stationed at each exit, bringing the total number of kettles to 10.
Most kettles are out to collect donations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. No donations are collected on Sundays.
Anyone who wishes to volunteer can reach the Salvation Army by calling 225-5586.