AS I SEE IT
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
The McKenzie County Ministerial Association, along with the Salvation Army, has a pretty ambitious goal for McKenzie County this holiday season. They want to raise $12,000 or more in donations in the Salvation Army’s kettles. And all that they need to accomplish this worthy goal is for everyone to drop a few dollars into those Red Kettles that you see in many area businesses.
Why is there the need to raise $12,000? The answer is simple - the demand on the Ministerial Association and the Salvation Army to meet all of the needs in McKenzie County is staggering.
For many years, the McKenzie County Ministerial Association provided funding for the Good Samaritan Fund from a free will offering held during its community Thanksgiving Day service. The idea of the Good Samaritan Fund was to be able to provide people in need with a small stipend to help them buy food, find a place to stay or even purchase a tank of gas. But as the number of people living in and around the county grew, so did the demands on the limited supply of funds that the Ministerial Association had.
As luck would have it, the Salvation Army was looking to expand its presence in McKenzie County to help provide more assistance to the increasing number of people that were moving into the area seeking work in the oil patch.
And with the Ministerial Association and the Salvation Army both wanting to do what they can to make a difference in the lives of those who are hurting in the region, a perfect union was created. The Ministerial Association agreed to help organize a Salvation Army Board in McKenzie County and to take on the challenge of raising money by manning the Salvation Army’s familiar Red Kettles in Watford City this Christmas season.
And that is where the rest of us need to step up and help these two very worthy groups in meeting their goal of raising $12,000 this holiday season. Manned kettles can be found at both of Watford City’s grocery stores as well as other locations. And in addition, there are also smaller unmanned kettles located in many retail businesses.
It sometimes takes so very little on the part of each of us who can spare a dollar or two, or a 10 or a 20 to make a difference in the lives of those who are truly struggling at this time of the year. It may seem like a simple gesture to toss your money into that Red Kettle, but the impact of each and every one of our donations can resonate throughout the community.
So this holiday season, whenever and wherever you see the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle in a McKenzie County business, stop and drop a buck or two into it. And let’s make it our pledge that we will fill the Salvation Army’s Red Kettles to overflowing.