Ringing in the Season

Every holiday season, as stores glow bright with twinkling lights and sidewalks fill with bundled-up shoppers, the familiar sound of a ringing bell drifts through the cold Minnesota air. 

Two decades ago, El Schefers sought to give back. At that time, as a State Farm Insurance agent based in Plymouth, El learned that his employer would donate to charities where employees volunteered more than 50 hours.

“State Farm had a program where if an agent volunteered 50 hours or more to a charity, they would give $500 to that charity. I thought I should take advantage of that, that’s free money, but I didn’t know where I would find a place that would give that many hours. I had good feelings about the Salvation Army. I gave them a call and asked if there was any chance they could give me 50 hours of ringing. They said, ‘we can give you 4,000 hours,’ El chuckled. “So, I took them up on that.”

Buffalo Focus

Now retired, this year will be El’s 21st year of ringing, most of which he has rung in the metro area. He moved to a Buffalo townhouse in January 2024, after living on an acreage in Independence.

“Since I moved to Buffalo, I am going to concentrate all my efforts here in Buffalo. I’m hoping this year we can get more people to do bell ringing because we match all the kettles in Buffalo.” 

El estimates that there are five active kettles at various Buffalo locations including Walmart, Cub Foods, and Coborn’s. He will be ringing for 10 days between December 13 - 24. 

“I’ve always used that time of the year because people tend to be more generous, and in the holiday giving spirit. That’s about 500 hours of possible ringing time. I’ll do about 20 to 22 hours, that’s all I can do now at my age. I would like to try and recruit more people locally because of our match.” 

Matching Donations

El matches kettle contributions by the public with personal donations, along with funds collected from friends and single donors for up to $15,000 (with a potential for more if additional donations come in). 

“As you get out there and start doing these fundraisers, you start thinking. I wondered if there was a way I could get more out of this for the Salvation Army. My wife and I talked and decided we could put some of our own money in, and I also knew a lot of people when I worked as an insurance salesman. I thought I could ask some of my clients that I knew well-enough if they would help me. I was a little nervous about that, not knowing if they would take offense, and I would lose their business.”  

El’s courageous spirit paid off, and he found that many people were willing to give.

“The first year of ringing, along with what my wife and I put in, client and colleague donations, we raised about ten thousand. We kept using that same formula. Most years we could raise between forty to fifty thousand dollars.”

El admits that standing out in the cold can be a bit of a deterrent for people who may be on the fence about ringing, but with a little creativity, the hours can pass quickly.

“I like to mix it up and have a little fun because simply standing and ringing a bell can get boring. I’ll sing Christmas carols. Sometimes, I’ll pretend I’m ice fishing and bring a 5-gallon bucket with a fishing pole and bobber. I put candy in the bucket for children. It works out well because I can bundle up and sit on the bucket. I don’t have to stand as much.” 

Helping Local Residents

The Salvation Army estimates that a single volunteer bell ringer can help raise hundreds—sometimes thousands—of dollars over the course of a season. Those funds support food shelves, rent assistance, winter clothing programs, and other services that stretch far beyond December. 

One of the benefits of El focusing his efforts in Buffalo, is that funds collected locally stay local, and help area residents in need. 

“Funds raised by bell ringers in Wright County stay in Wright County and are used to help families in need all year long,” stated Salvation Army Divisional Marketing & Communications Director Dan Furry. “El rings so often that the estimated amount of funds he has raised over the years is approaching $1 million.”

“Last year was our best year ever,” said El. “We raised around $57,000. Over the past twenty years, we’ve raised around $905,000. I didn’t think it would get that far, each year, I wonder if I will keep doing it, but as long as I’ve got people to help me, the least I can do is to do my part.”

El’s generous spirit will once again shine bright this December. His efforts over the years have brought much assistance to those in need.

“When you get done for the season, you get a good feeling because you know that things are going to get better because you know that so many people are willing to help others. I just wish the temperature could be 70 degrees sometimes,” he laughed.

In an effort to increase the number of bell ringers locally, El invites folks who are interested in ringing to contact him at 612-834-1946 for more information.