Doing a lot of good one buck at a time

Wallace Roy of Garrison City Plumbing, LLC tosses his second buck into Kriby Brown's Salvation Army Red Kettle Tuesday morning in front of Signal Street Variety in Rochester. (Rochester Voice photo)

There was a lot of good that got done on the streets of Rochester on Tuesday.

Kirby Brown, who lives downtown, was in the middle of it, standing next to his Red Kettle raising money for the Salvation Army, one of the country's premier fund-raising platforms.

A lot of retailers don't want the kettles outside their doors till Black Friday, Brown said, so on Tuesday morning he planned to spend about nine hours in front of Signal Street Variety.

We saw him next to his kettle sans bell ("they don't need to hear the bell here," he grinned) around 11 a.m. just saying a friendly hello to customers as they entered the store and thanking them when they chose to stuff a buck or some coins into his kettle.

"I do it to help out the Salvation Army," Brown said when asked why he spends long hours in the cold standing by his kettle from now through Christmas.

He's been doing it for 14 years now and says little has changed in the job over the years, however, this year there is a wrinkle.

Under his kettle stands a box of peppermint candy, supplied by the Salvation Army to hand out.

He said the kids love it, but he doesn't offer it unless the parent makes a donation.

"I don't want to make the parents mad by taking it upon myself to offer the candy," he said, "but if they donate, well, then I ask."

He also said he sees a lot of parents letting their children toss the coins or a buck or two into the kettle, which he call the triple crown of giving.

"It makes the kids happy, they like to do it and it teaches them the joy of paying it forward," said Brown.

Brown says he's seen a lot of giving over the years as a Red Kettle tender, including several donors who have tossed $100 into the bucket.

As we end our brief visit, Wallace Roy of Garrison City Plumbing, LLC., walks out of Signal Street and tosses a buck in.

After he begins to walk away I asked Roy if we could get a picture of him at the kettle with Brown.

"Oh you're just trying to get me to throw in another buck," Roy chuckled.

"Yeah, that the scam," I said.

So if you see Kirby down by Signal Street in the next few weeks, make sure you say "Hi" and throw a buck or two in his Red Kettle.

But don't delay. Come Black Friday he'll be gone for the season.