Dec. 17—I should have switched my bell-ringing hand at least once.

If there is one lesson I learned from taking a shift ringing the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle bell on a crisp, clear Thursday morning, that was it: Don’t just ring the bell for 90 minutes with the same arm. It doesn’t feel like you’re doing a lot of work.

But at 42 years old, it’s now the kind of activity for which I should have done stretching exercises beforehand.

I was curious to see if the Red Kettle is still the donation draw it had been in the past. Donation culture has gone pretty far over the top in a lot of places. Two out of every five transactions you make today seem to come with an option to donate to a charity or a cause.

So I reached out to the local Salvation Army chapter and asked to volunteer, taking an hour and a half shift in front of the Walmart on Greengate Centre Circle in Hempfield. Here are the main things I took away from the experience.

—The Red Kettle is indeed still very popular. I decided it would probably be a bit uncouth to keep a running tally of who did and didn’t donate, but just based on observation, the donation rate for folks going past the kettle was about 35%.

So far this season, the Salvation Army’s Western Pennsylvania division has raised more than $1 million across 28 counties. And Salvation Army officials announced that all cash donations Saturday will be matched up to $5,000, thanks to its Eastern Territorial Commander’s 2023 Kettle Cash Match Challenge.

—Eye contact. From a sociological standpoint, it’s very interesting to watch people’s reaction to the fact that someone is clearly soliciting donations at the door they’re about to walk through. I adopted the neutral strategy of simply wishing everyone who passed a hearty “Good morning!” Better than 90% of people gave it right back.

For a small minority, however, I could tell immediately that they were not going to make eye contact. Not ever. Perhaps they thought meeting my gaze would somehow lock them into an unspoken social contract to donate. And you can’t discount just plain shyness.

—Keep an eye on the kettle. I wasn’t worried that anyone would try and take it, but lots of folks kind of haphazardly stuff their dollar or drop their coins, and I looked down at least twice to see coins just sitting on top of the bucket.

—The weather was too nice. Not that I was hoping for 18 degrees and a blizzard, but I did feel like perhaps I wasn’t getting the authentic Salvation Army Red Kettle experience without having to be bundled up against the weather. Honestly, when the sun was shining brightly, I felt I might have been overdressed. I certainly didn’t need the winter gloves I’d brought along.

—Find a rhythm. As a musician, it’s extremely troubling to listen to anything happening out of rhythm. And I had my work cut out for me. I don’t know if they’re all like this, but my Salvation Army bell had an old carabiner as its ringer. That made it challenging, but I finally settled into a nice “ka-DING, ka-DING, ka-DING DING DING” rhythm that I was happy with. For the musically inclined shoppers, I even threw in a couple triplets now and again.

—It’s very worthwhile. You get to see the best in people. This time of year, late-season shopping can have folks in a bad mood. One man who came out of the store exclaimed, “It’s a madhouse, you’d have to be crazy to go in there!” while he was donating. But more often than not, even a gruff-looking shopper has a smile for the bell ringer.

It’s a tradition that goes back all the way to 1891, when Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee placed a pot outside Oakland Ferry Landing in San Francisco’s Market Street.

I was happy to take a small part in it, and during a year in the U.S. when overall donations have declined following two years of record generosity, according to an Indiana University study, it was great to see the spirit of giving alive and well in Westmoreland County.

Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .