The Salvation Army Kicks off the Holiday Season with 40th Annual Celebrity Bell Ringing
The Salvation Army Kicks off the Holiday Season with
40th Annual Celebrity Bell Ringing Tradition at Macy’s Union Square
Friday, December 10, 2021 1:00 p.m.– 4:00p.m.
What: The Salvation Army 40th Annual Celebrity Bell Ringing Day
See some of San Francisco’s finest celebrities, media personalities, musicians, and more together in one location at Macy’s Union Square to ring bells at the 40th Annual Salvation Army Celebrity Bell Ringing Day on Friday, December 10, 2021, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Kick off the season of giving as The Salvation Army spreads holiday cheer while helping families and individuals in need.
The Macy’s Geary Street entrance will provide local musicians opportunities to showcase their talent while giving back to others and encouraging the public to support a good cause.
Who: Bay Area media personalities, The Salvation Army Brass Band, and The Irish Newsboys, a band of journalists and classic rockers including Barry “The Fish” Melton and San Francisco Chronicle reporters, Miss San Francisco and more!
Where: Macy’s Union Square (majority of celebs stationed at Geary Street entrance)
When: Friday, December 10, 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Why: To raise awareness and support for The Salvation Army’s programs and social services helping San Franciscans in need.
History: In the winter of 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joe McFee put a crab pot on the San Francisco docks and asked citizens to “keep the pot boiling” by making donations so he could feed needy San Franciscans at Christmas time. These days, we all know this “crab pot” as The Salvation Army Red Kettle, seen on city streets around the world during the holiday season.
In 1980, Chief of Protocol for the city of San Francisco Charlotte Shultz (then Charlotte Swig), created the event to bring together many of San Francisco’s community leaders to ring bells for The Salvation Army. San Francisco Chronicle Columnist Herb Caen wrote about the inaugural event, noting Charlotte’s remarkable talent for raising money and awareness for the city’s most vulnerable men, women, and children.
Photo Ops & Interviews:
► Media personalities, community leaders ringing bells and performing wacky antics to collect change for The Salvation Army (many often compete to see who can raise the most in an hour)
► Live musical entertainment at the Macy’s Geary Street entrance
► Interviews with Salvation Army staff, including Major Darren Norton and select celebrities (as willing)
Other: ► Help change lives for good. To donate or sign up online to be a volunteer log onto www.sanfrancisco.salvationarmy.org.
About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army was established in London in 1865, and since 1883 has been serving the San Francisco Bay Area, offering practical support, spiritual comfort and a critical safety net to people in need. The safety net is funded in part by donations from the Red Kettle Campaign which started in San Francisco in 1891. Nearly 300,000 people living in the San Francisco Bay Area receive assistance from the Army annually through a range of social services; clothing and shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, opportunities for underprivileged children, alcohol rehabilitation, transitional housing, nutritional and housing support for seniors and relief for disaster survivors. For every dollar donated to The Salvation Army, 82 cents is used to support those services in Salvation Army facilities throughout San Francisco. For more information go to sanfrancisco.salvationarmy.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @SalvationArmySF
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