Last Red Kettles at Target Modesto, CA

Standing next to the ubiquitous red kettle, Bruno was heartily ringing the hand bell when the next two volunteers arrived at 2 pm to assume the next two-hour shift. The kettle at the entrance to the McHenry Avenue Target Store was almost filled to the brim with bills and coins when the new shift began.

For the next two hours, Irene and I greeted many young and old faces. The kettle was filled to capacity by the time the next shift from our church arrived. We found a discarded clothe hanger to push in the new donations. We advised the new couple to do the same before we went on our way.

In today's Modesto Bee, we learned the Target Corporation has banned all manners of solicitation on its store premises. Henceforth, The Salvation Army kettle fund drives at the two Target stores in Modesto this year will only be a memory of Christmases past.

The Salvation Army was founded on the squalid streets of 19th-century London. The founder, William Booth, prescribed an enduring Christian principle which guides the organization to this day. The motto is "Soup, Soap, and Salvation." The Salvation Army Report 2004.

For those who took part in the red kettle fund drives last Christmas season in Modesto, it was a special day. Especially for the Target Stores' red kettle crew. Indeed, for Irene and I, that eventful day was Saturday, 13 December, 2003.