Some people feel like it’s Christmas after the first snowfall, or after the last of the Thanksgiving dinner. I feel like it’s Christmas when I go shopping and at every doorway is a stranger, ringing a bell over a red kettle. So when I was asked to volunteer and ring bells for The Salvation Army, it seemed like a no-brainer.

With its military-informed structure and continual focus on the poor, The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 by William Booth, an English evangelist to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute.

The Red Kettles campaign became a fundraiser for the efforts reaching out to “the least of these” in 1891. Today, The Salvation Army in Des Moines regularly serves over 31,000 adults with utility and rent assistance, basic infant needs, free meals, and more.

In late November through December, The Salvation Army sets up an impressive 700,000 kettles at stores across the country. The money raised from the kettles is a third of their total fundraising, according to Amy DeCastro, assistant to the city coordinator. The rest of their funds come from direct mail appeals and other donations. The kettles in the Des Moines area are spread out at 52 different sites, which then are filled with 8,466 volunteer shifts.

Signing up to be a volunteer was easy. All I did was go to ringbells.org, pick a day, location, and two-hour time shift. All I had to do was show up at 6 p.m. at Wal-mart, and everything would be there for me. Easy.

When the day came, I got off work, ate a quick dinner, and drove over to Wal-mart. When I first stepped outside after a long day of office work, I immediately knew this wouldn’t be as easy and comfortable as it would have been just a few days earlier.

The temperature had dropped, and it was the coldest it had been in weeks, blustery, and chilly. I’d dressed warmly, with a sweater on under my pea coat, scarf, hat, and mittens, but my legs and feet were cold. Wool socks were not enough for two hours of standing outside on cement.

Wal-mart was bustling with customers going in and out of the doors, but very few, if any, would even make eye contact with me, as if they were afraid I would chase them down and ring my bell intensely at them if they didn’t donate. As a whole, most people clearly wanted nothing to do with me, quickly passing by.

Of the few who did donate, several mentioned the weather, or that I looked cold. One man patted my shoulder and thanked me for being out there. My favorite moment, though, happened after a small boy was given money by his dad to put in as they were leaving. He put some change in, and I said, "thank you," as he turned back to his father. But his dad stopped him and told him to go back and put it all in. Apparently, the little fellow wanted to keep some of the money for himself.

If you want to volunteer, there are plenty of spaces, according to DeCastro. They only have about 43 percent of the shifts covered. And I’d recommend wearing wool socks.