Major will ring Salvation Army bell for 30 hours to celebrate 30 years

“Come by and see me, bring me coffee,” pleads Maj. Steve Long. The 30 hours are symbolic, celebrating the Salvation Army's 30-year association with WRAL's Coats for the Children.

Coats for the Children is a fundraising effort to supply coats and warm clothes to children in need. The Salvation Army estimates 10,000 children in Wake County alone need coats; the need encompasses thousands more in the surrounding counties. Some of that need is in families who lost so much during Hurricane Florence.

Coats for the Children (page redirects to Salvation Army)

The bell ringing marathon is a throw back to Long's beginnings with the Salvation Army.

“My time with the Salvation Army began November the 25th, 1976. I was a volunteer bell ringer,” Long remembers. It's a position he says will unfortunately never go away. “Well, Jesus said the poor will be with you always, so I'm guaranteed a job,” he says.

The job is a labor of love.

“At the same time I'm ringing a bell, I'm singing a song in my heart,” Long professes. “The song in the heart motivates the bell in the hand.”

Long spontaneously breaks in to Christmas carols while ringing his bell out front of the Walmart in Holly Springs.

Last year, WRAL's 29th Coats for the Children Telethon collected more than 4,500 coats. The effort raised $183,000 to buy winter wear.

People from all walks of life encounter Long's red kettle as they come in and out of the super store.

“Most of our donations come from people who can't afford to give,” the major explains. Those are the people who may have asked for help in the past or may need it in the future. “The need is great,” he says.

The giving is great as well. Major Long is enthusiastic and rings his bell with gusto.

“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings, so let's make some wings,” he exclaims.

He began his marathon shift at 2 p.m. Thursday and will ring the bell through 8 p.m. Friday.