The Salvation Army’s bell ringers are a fixture every Christmas season. You see them at the front entrance to nearly every store in the run-up to Christmas. And while the Salvation Army often pays people to man the kettles, volunteers give of their time as well.
Ringing the bell can be a rewarding way to spend an hour or two of your time during the holidays. Just ask NFL Hall of Famer, Super Bowl-winning coach, and broadcaster Tony Dungy.
Jay Feely of CBS Sports witnessed Dungy ringing the bell for the Salvation Army outside a grocery store.
Tony Dungy won a Super Bowl as HC
Played in the NFL
Works as a studio analyst on NBC
But I respect him as a man more than anything he has done in football.
Here he is (without any fanfare) quietly volunteereing with The Salvation Army at the local grocery store-Servant leader pic.twitter.com/A5749xojsM— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) December 20, 2022
It’s not the first time this year that Dungy has volunteered. He’s done it at least one other time with other family members in tow.
We are out ringing bells for the Salvation Army Red Kettle at the Publix at the Apex in North Tampa. If you’re close come by and see us tonight and make a holiday donation for the needy! pic.twitter.com/Sp1Tvnnvek
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) December 7, 2022
Dungy is a man of deep faith who puts that faith into action to serve his community and the world at large. He has sponsored or lent his name to several initiatives that promote family and Christian values.
Yet to serve in such a humble and simple way isn’t beyond him. A man of Dungy’s stature could have simply cut a check and made a sizeable donation to the Salvation Army — which he has probably also done — but he chose to stand out in front of a store and ring bells to encourage others to donate, too.
Now that’s a powerful demonstration of Christmas spirit.
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