salvation army

every year at this time i go shopping for my wine (more wine than the rest of the year) and see old grey haired men with sad looks on their faces ringing old bells with old jars in front of them and old signs above old jars which read, “salvation army”.
  i stand and observe the many faces looking down fidgeting with any gadget they can get their hands on to distract them from looking into the old sad man’s eyes to avoid throwing change into the old jar.  i know all the tricks because i use the same tricks.  the tricks that i use for the old man ringing the old bell are the same ones that i use for the old drunk man with ripped up pooh stained pants that are old.
  i am a very generous man with a HUGE heart who many times goes way out of my way to help struggling old ladies who have dropped old wallets or old scarves.  so then why do i do so much to avoid these old men behind the old jar?
  the answer is simple.  i have absolutely no idea where my money goes when giving to this old institution.  i could ask twenty people what salvation army is and what it stands for and i would get twenty different answers.  with our economy being the way it is and people so wrapped up in their own struggles to help their own families at christmas time more needs to be done by the old salvation army to inform us on just what they do and what they stand for.
  just as people need to evolve…companies need to evolve as well.  i believe that most people want to help others less fortunate in some capacity but i also believe that “throwing away” your loose change is only done out of guilt.  I buy a bottle of wine at the liquor store…”do you want to donate a dollar to sick kids”.  i buy zit cream at shopper’s drug mart…”do you want to donate two dollars to salvation army”.  i fidget and squirm as i pretend to reach into my pocket and then give my standard answer, “i gave two bucks last time (i am in the liquor store everyday).”
  WAKE UP SALVATION ARMY AND INFORM US OF WHAT YOU STAND FOR.  DON’T BE LAZY.  DON’T MAKE US FEEL GUILTY.  EVOLVE.  why is it always old sad looking men behind the old ball ringing the old ball?  if i KNEW that my twenty dollar donation would actually put a HUGE SMILE on a little kids face who is less fortunate then i would throw my twenty dollar bill in from the tim horton’s line while waiting for my double double but i don’t know where my money is going so i will continue to fidget and hide and pretend to answer my phone and feel a little guilt for ten seconds until i walk out into the parking lot and scream at how ridiculously poorly planned the lot is.  and to think people actually get paid to design these horribly planned grid locked parking lots!!!