MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) - A dime, nickel or even just a few pennies is all Corrine Granger asks that people donate when they see her ringing a bell.
“You got it, you give it,” said Granger, 82, as she sat near the shiny red kettle marking he a volunteer bell-ringer for the Salvation Army.
Donning a red apron, filled with candy, Granger spends six days a week, four hours each day, as a bell-ringer - just the same as she’s been doing since 1952.
The Elk Point native moved to the Mitchell area with her husband when she was 18 years old. Looking for a church to attend in the Mitchell area, Granger and her husband chose the Salvation Army, which serves as a church, social service organization and thrift store, The (Mitchell) Daily Republic (https://bit.ly/2gUqgZ4 ) reported.
Little did Granger know, she would still be volunteering and working with the organization 64 years later.
Granger and her husband, Eugene, had nine children, each one of them baptized and dedicated with the Salvation Army. All of the children also were bell ringers.
“All of my kids grew up in bell ringing,” Granger said. “They always hopped in the car and we all came. They knew when it was bell ringing time.”
Now that her children are adults with full-time jobs and children of their own, they don’t have time to be a volunteer bell-ringer, Granger said, but they all still recall the fun, family time spent bell ringing when they were younger.
Granger said it was a family affair to go out, ring the bell and raise money for those who are less fortunate. And it’s an activity she still enjoys doing.
But bell ringing is just one of countless other jobs and tasks Granger has helped with at the Salvation Army. Granger currently serves as a cook for the organization, arriving each day at 8:30 a.m. and leaving around 2 p.m., giving her a little time before her 4 p.m. shift at Shopko.
On top of cooking and bell ringing, Granger also volunteers to deliver groceries, gives a ride to a fellow employee for his bell ringing shift and picks up bread on Saturdays to deliver to the church.
And each Sunday morning, Granger goes to church, unlocks the door, starts the coffeemaker and sets up for Sunday School.
“I’m always busy doing something,” Granger said.
Just as she’s helped the Salvation Army for all these years, the group has also helped Granger.
About 40 years ago, Granger said their family home in Mount Vernon burned down, leaving her, her husband and her nine children without a place to live.
But thanks to the Salvation Army, the family was able to stay in a hotel room in Mitchell for two weeks crammed together. They also were given food by the organization, Granger said.
The family lucked out and found a good deal on a home in Mitchell two weeks later, and to this day, Granger still lives in the home with one of her sons.
Her son, Bill, lost his legs to diabetes a few years ago, Granger said, and she still takes care of him. Granger also has another son, in Parkston, who is paralyzed and on a feeding tube. She continues to visit him and bring him to family get-togethers, she said.
Granger’s husband Eugene died in 2009, she said, but she still lives in the same home.
Through each of these life obstacles, there’s been one organization that’s been there through it all - the Salvation Army.
“They help me keep my sanity,” she said with a laugh. “They’re good to me. If I need something, they help me and I help them.”
And the organization’s help for the Granger family doesn’t end there.
Five years ago, Granger was diagnosed with lymphoma. Being a cook for the group, she had to miss work to receive chemotherapy and radiation. Granger said they always allowed her the next day off to recover, allowing her to keep her job. Five months after battling lymphoma, Granger was also diagnosed with breast cancer. She had one breast completely removed, and the Salvation Army was there again to help her through that time.
And it’s something Granger will never forget.
“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them,” Granger said. “It’s like a home for me.”
“Thank you and Merry Christmas.”
These are the five words that Granger repeats each time someone passes by her sitting near the sign labeling her a Salvation Army volunteer.
Wearing a heavy black coat, with a Salvation Army logo on the right arm, Granger said there’s nowhere else she’d rather be during the holiday season than sitting in her spot in the entrance of Shopko, bell ringing.
After more than 60 years, Granger is an expert when it comes to bell ringing and she’s even gathered a fan base.
People from the community who know Granger will stop by to donate some money and just say, “Hello.” They don’t go into the department store, Granger said.
There’s one woman whose daughter died recently, Granger said, who always makes a point to stop and visit Granger while she’s bell ringing. And even though she doesn’t have much money to donate, Granger said this woman always puts something in the bucket.
“She gave what she had,” Granger said “That meant more, you know?”
Maj. Vickie Cole has known Granger for the past two years since joining the Salvation Army. Cole said in those two years, she’s seen how caring and compassionate Granger is.
“She believes in always giving back and helping the Salvation army no matter what,” Cole said. “She wants kids to have toys at Christmas and a food box. She knows this money will help in that way.”
During the holiday season, Cole said finding volunteers to be bell-ringers can be difficult, but they can always count on Granger.
For the organization, donations are very important and Cole said Granger is always working to get as much money as possible, so the group doesn’t have to spend anything extra.
“She’s a very giving person,” Cole said.
With pockets full of candy, Granger said one of her favorite parts of bell ringing is seeing the children. Children, along with their parents, will stop by, drop a donation in the bucket and talk with Granger. She’ll give them some candy and send them off with a “Merry Christmas.”
Granger also volunteers to do the bell ringing each year as a way to get out of the house and do something, she said. Not only does it help others out, it helps her out.
So far this year, Granger is the only person signed up to ring the bell on Christmas Eve, which is a tradition for Granger, who said she always works on Dec. 24 until 6 p.m.
And Granger, who said she remains in good health, doesn’t plan on quitting her bell ringing duties anytime soon. The 82-year-old, who will be 83 in a few weeks, said she will work with the Salvation Army, not just bellringing, for as long as she can.
“I told them I’ll probably be there until my last breath,” Granger said with a laugh. “The Salvation Army is like a home to me.”
___
Information from: The Daily Republic, https://www.mitchellrepublic.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.