I’m stealing this article outright, and reminding everyone that they can get involved in the local Salvation Army effort by contacting me through the contact form above, or calling Major Everett Henry at 978-458-3396.

The radiothon, meals, outreach work, bell ringers.. there are lots of ways to help out. — Shawn

By Jack Minch, jminch@lowellsun.com

LOWELL — This year’s Christmas season ho-ho-hos are turning into oh-oh-ohs for too many families because of the economy.

So the number of people asking the Salvation Army for help has soared, but the calendar this year is crueler than a November nor’easter, bringing Thanksgiving, the unofficial start of the Christmas season, almost a week later than last year.

That could cost the local Salvation Army chapter thousands of dollars in donations from its classic red kettles at a time when the NYSE and NASDAQ stock boards are falling and the effects are reverberating through the economy.

The Salvation Army in Lowell received 559 requests for Christmas help this year, compared to about 450 last year, said Maj. Everett Henry in the Appleton Street office.

“We don’t want to turn anyone away, but our concern is resources and what we can do,” he said.

The Salvation Army’s ability to help is maxed out for now, so it is referring requests to Community Teamwork and The Sun’s Sun Santa.

Statewide, the Salvation Army’s Christmas campaign started yesterday, a week earlier than the traditional kickoff.

“We decided to go out earlier because the requests for assistance have jumped incredibly, comparing October of this year to October of last year,” said Tom Langdon, spokesman in the state headquarters in Boston. “It’s really, really serious.”

The Salvation Army raised about $3.1 million last season and is hoping to raise $3.3 million to $3.5 million this year.
“What it goes back to is, $3 million isn’t going to do it,” Langdon said. “There are so many more people who need it.”

The Salvation Army’s national contract with Wal-Mart does not let it set up outside its stores until the day after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is Nov. 27 compared to Nov. 22 last year. That means the Salvation Army in Greater Lowell is facing a $6,000 to $8,000 loss in revenue for the week and can only hope to make it up, said Henry.

The bellringers in Lowell and surrounding communities traditionally start after the Christmas Castle Breakfast, which was held last week, so their kickoff was right on schedule.

“Every year, a half-dozen people say, ‘You’re out earlier this year’ (but) we aren’t out earlier,” said Jean Ross Reece who stood beside her red kettle at the Market Basket in Westford yesterday, as she has every year since 2003.

She trained for the rigors of standing throughout the Christmas season by raking leaves for her son the past three weekends.

Yesterday was a six-layer day for her — she was wearing six layers of clothing to keep warm. The maximum is eight layers, Reece said.

She stood on a piece of cardboard to keep the cold from the sidewalk from creeping into her shoes, but has a piece of rug at home she will bring when the weather turns even colder.

When Reece gets to work, she glances at a flagpole across the street to get a sense of how bad the weather will be and whether she will be looking into the wind all day.

“This is the windiest corner in Westford, I’m told,” she said.

But Reece has faith that people will have warm hearts and dig deep in their pockets this year to contribute for the needy.