When my nephew came home from college at the start of summer, the first question I asked him was, “When does school start?” His response: “Really?” Then I found myself Back to School shopping in July, Halloween candy buying in August, and now this Labor Day thinking about Christmas.

Major John Williams with the Salvation Army of Washtenaw County is hoping Christmas isn’t too far from our minds even as we hold on to summer a bit longer. The red kettles are already being prepared for this year’s fundraising campaign. He told me on 1290 WLBY this past week that even though they exceeded their goal of $300,000 last year by $20,000, the need has grown tremendously.

Major Williams: It was a fantastic outpouring. People are putting more dollar bills in now instead of just coins because they see the need is so great in Washtenaw County.

Lucy Ann: Didn’t you add credit cards to the kettles?

Major Williams: We were the first ones in Michigan actually to add four credit card machines. We had two of them in Ypsilanti and two at Briarwood Mall. They worked out very well, especially in the mall. They’re doing most of their shopping with a credit card so they’re swiping them at our bell station. It’s easy to give, it’s quick, and they can get a receipt right off the machine.

Lucy Ann: Describe the structure of the Salvation Army.

Major Williams: The Salvation Army has been here for almost 110 years now, established in Ypsilanti first and then Ann Arbor. We also operate the Ken and Mary Ann Staples Family Center, a shelter, 30 beds, full all the time with families that are struggling, and the Hope House. We have 10 veterans living there.

Lucy Ann: The money that is raised through the Red Kettle Campaign, is that your major fundraiser? Major Williams: That makes up about 80 percent of our budget, yes it is. Lucy Ann: Where do you get the rest of the money from?

Major Williams: We bring it in through other grants that we apply for or we also have private donors that are very special to us who give significant amounts to help their neighbors.

Lucy Ann: How critical is the need?

Major Williams: In Ann Arbor we operate a pantry two days a week and Food Gatherers helps support that. We’re seeing people who have degrees to young people coming to get food, to pay lights and pay rent. It’s up about 80 percent demand on food over the last year, and it’s 50 percent up for other services such as lights and rent, so we’re very much on the increase in the demand.

Lucy Ann: If that’s true, then I imagine the $320,000 you raised last year, that bar has to go up even further this year.

Major Williams: We know what’s going on with the state, we know what’s going on with people who are interested in the stock market. They’re not giving quite like they would, they’re a little bit nervous. So yes, we’re going to have to move the goal up and we’re going to have to let people know, it could be your neighbor that you’re helping this year.

Lucy Ann: There are some people who you actually pay to ring bells who critically need jobs as well?

Major Williams: We try to use 80 percent of our kettle workers to be volunteers. Now that’s a real struggle because volunteers of course can choose their time and place and it makes it a little more of a challenge to place people where we want them. Then about 10 to 20 percent of our workers are folks who can’t get a job anywhere else, that are out of work. Some of these folks might be homeless, some might be living in shelters. We do a background check on every kettle and bell ringer. If they can stand there and ring the bell for those hours, they receive a little bit of an income themselves.

Lucy Ann: How many staff people do you have at the Salvation Army?

Major Williams: At the Ann Arbor Corps there are four staff people and then the county actually operates out of the Ann Arbor Corps community center. We have in the county staff probably another four or five staff people. I can tell you that every dollar placed in the kettles stays in Washtenaw County to help Washtenaw residents, and 83 cents of every dollar goes back into direct services to help them with rent, help them with lights, help them with food.

Lucy Ann: That is incredible that your overhead is so low. You run a lean operation.

Major Williams: I wasn’t raised in the Salvation Army. I had a past life as vice president of a crane company, involved in engineering. I know that our company, if it had to operate on 15 percent profit, we wouldn’t be in business. The reason that we’re in business is we’re trying to help people and we’re not paying large salaries. We’re just not in it to make the money for ourselves. I left a lucrative job just to follow the Lord in the Salvation Army.

Lucy Ann: Has this work been gratifying to you?

Major Williams: Oh, my goodness. When we invest in people’s futures and their eternity, wow, it is so fulfilling and satisfying. Absolutely, every day, I’d never want to be anywhere else but right here in Ann Arbor serving in the Washtenaw County Salvation Army.

Lucy Ann: Building lives here and beyond.

Major Williams: That’s right. We’re building and strengthening families, and my goal today is to try to get families back around the supper table. We’re not communicating as families anymore. We’re not getting together and talking anymore. The Salvation Army’s goal here in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and the county is to get the children around the table with mom and dad again and talk and visit and try to communicate with one another. Now that takes a little spiritual foundation as well, and that’s what the Salvation Army does best. We’re not building a church, we’re building relationships with the Lord and then through the family and then building it up.

Lucy Ann: I think our 24-hour society where you are pressed with your Blackberry to do work 24-hours a day has done a great disservice to families.

Major Williams: We can’t turn our kids out on the street to let society try to raise them. So in our community center we bring the children in, we bring the parents in, and we have programs, character building programs that help them to strengthen in their relationship with one another and with the Lord, of course.

Lucy Ann: What do you want the community to know about the Red Kettle Campaign, as we head into Labor Day weekend? How we can help?

Major Williams: We’re going to get the kettles out again in November. Something happens to us at that time of year, some kind of magical, spiritual thing. We want to help other people, and I want you to know we’ll have more kettles out than ever. I would like to ask everyone this year, perhaps not so many coins, but more of those greenback dollar bills (to) help our neighbors be able to stay on their feet. We’re not about handouts in the Salvation Army; we’re about hand-ups. So, when we sit down with someone with a problem, we look for a longer term solution. Those dollars put in those kettles help folks bridge through a crisis, so in terms of volunteerism, go online, sign up with us, select your kettle, your site, your time. I want to remind everyone we have indoor Briarwood kettle sites. I mean, how much better can it get than that when it’s twenty degrees outside?

Visit www.sawashtenaw.org to learn more about volunteering with the Salvation Army.

Lucy Ann Lance co-owns Lance & Erskine Communications, which produces “The Lucy Ann Lance Business Insider” (M-F, 8 a.m.-11 a.m.) and “The Lucy Ann Lance Show” (Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.) on 1290 WLBY. The programs are live streamed at www.1290WLBY.com, and podcast on www.lucyannlance.com. The above interview is a condensed version of a longer conversation that is edited for clarity. The complete audio interview is posted online at www.lucyannlance.com.