Red Kettle Bells Ring Again
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Bryan Gilley, left, and Brad Willingham ring the Salvation Army Red Kettle bells outside Larson’s CashSaver in Water Valley as part of the annual Red Kettle drive.
OXFORD – Volunteers have been ringing the Salvation Army Red Kettle bells at Larson’s CashSaver in Water Valley on Saturdays and Sundays for the past three weekends, an effort that will continue through Dec. 21. The return of the bells after a several-year hiatus came through local commitment and quick action by Water Valley volunteers.
Bobette Wolesensky, manager of the Salvation Army of Oxford, which serves Lafayette, Marshall, Panola and Yalobusha counties, spoke at the Sept. 9 meeting of the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors about the organization’s ongoing efforts to serve Yalobusha County residents. Following that meeting, Mary Sue Bennett, Tyler Hill and Brad Willingham decided it was time to bring the bells — and the hope they represent for those in need — back to Water Valley.
“The funds collected in Red Kettles stay local, every donation is used to support utility assistance and case management for those in the four counties we serve,” Wolesensky told the Herald. “As utility prices have increased over the past year, the need is greater than ever.”
In the past year, the Salvation Army has made more than $29,000 in cash payments for utilities to a combined total of 176 people in 55 households across the four-county area. Approximately 15 percent of those funds assisted residents of Yalobusha County.
Red Kettle donations also help fund a senior food and hygiene supply voucher program, as well as the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, which served 70 children from 28 families across the four-county area in 2024, including five families in Yalobusha County.
“When the Water Valley Lions Club and Rotary set their minds to making things happen for the residents of Yalobusha County, those efforts tend to move quickly,” Wolesensky noted.
As he braved the cold on Dec. 14, bell-ringer Tyler Hill said, “I have limited opportunities to serve, so I was doing this today no matter what. It’s amazing to see some people give so much, and many of them are probably in need themselves.”
Willingham, who serves with the Lions Club, has taken on the responsibility of setting up the Red Kettle every Saturday and Sunday this month. He and his wife, Leah, will ring the bells together on Saturday, Dec. 20.
“It’s amazing how most people are willing to put money in the bucket,” Willingham said. “It gives you a little more faith in people.”
Clay Ashford and Cinnamon Foster volunteer as Salvation Army Red Kettle bell ringers outside Larson’s CashSaver in Water Valley.
