Kettle worker warms hearts, homes of the less fortunate

COEUR d’ALENE — Wesley Winberry is one of the 40 paid kettle workers employed by The Salvation Army Kroc Center to ring bells for the Red Kettles.

“While we have recruited volunteers to staff 1,500 hours at the kettle this season, there are more than 4,000 hours at more than 20 locations over the course of the 32-day campaign,” said Kroc Development Director Christy Markham. “We simply could not operate this important fundraiser if it were not for the hardy staff that work 20-40 hours a week ringing bells.”

Each bell ringer has a unique story of why they are in need of extra work this Christmas. For Wesley Winberry, it was to help his neighbors in Athol. Wesley has used his bell ringing paycheck to help people buy firewood and other necessities. When he explained what he was doing, Wesley said, “People need to be warm.”

“Wesley has been a model employee,” said Kettle Coordinator Cynthia Rozyla. “We actually had to tell him he had to take a few breaks during the day to get warm and get something to eat. He just didn’t want to miss even a single donation for his kettle.”

To top off this beautiful story: Christmas Day is Wesley’s birthday.

All kettle donations collected in Kootenai County stay local to provide food, clothing, shelter, and a safe place to belong and grow. To learn more, visit kroccda.org/give.