AUBURN – The Salvation Army bell ringer may be ringing a little louder or offering a bigger smile these days at the Auburn and Oxford Wal-Marts.

Heck, they may do dances.

That’s because the Salvation Army announced Friday that from Dec. 17 through Dec. 24 it will receive a match, dollar for dollar, for every donation dropped in the red kettles outside Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores.

That has area staff of the charity grinning as if Santa had arrived early.

“This is excellent!” said Capt. John Bennett of the Salvation Army’s Lewiston office. “We intend to raise as much as we can, and certainly to take advantage of the opportunity Wal-Mart has provided.”

With the huge volume of business done at the Auburn store, shoppers typically donate between $500 to $1,000 a day this time of year, Bennett said. That means – barring storms that keep shoppers away – his charity could gain an additional $3,500 to $7,000, maybe more.

Wal-Mart limits the number of days any charity can solicit to 14 days a year. Bennett saved his 14 for peak shopping days on weekends and during the last week before Christmas, which means he’ll have bell ringers at the Auburn Wal-Mart every day through Dec. 24 except Monday.

First time for offer

And, Bennett says he’ll station his bell ringers with the warmest personalities at the Auburn store, where he will be ringing the bell also. Every extra dollar his unit gets means more help he can provide to the community, Bennett said.

The Salvation Army helps the poor not only at Christmas, but throughout the year with emergency food, housing and heating assistance.

Portland Salvation Army’s Capt Linda Ferreira said Wal-Mart’s match “is awesome. Wal-Mart has extended its hand to support a 104-year-old tradition that benefits many thousands of people. Every dollar put into our red kettles is used locally.” She estimated her Salvation Army stands to gain about $7,000 more at the two Wal-Marts and the Sam’s Club in her area.

Wal-Mart is making this offer for the first time, as an extension of its tradition of helping communities, corporate spokesman Dan Fogleman said Friday from his Arkansas office.

“The red kettles are truly a holiday tradition worth keeping,” Fogleman said. While some stores, such as Target, don’t allow bell ringers, Wal-Mart welcomes them and will match donations through Christmas – up to $1 million nationally, he said.

Wal-Mart expects kettle donations nationally to reach that threshold by Christmas, but Fogleman said he couldn’t speculate on what day the matches would stop. This year, Wal-Mart is donating $200 million nationally to charities. “We have a history of helping our communities,” he said. “This is a case of us just trying to do the right thing.”

Yvette Reed, a store co-manager at the Auburn Wal-Mart, said she was pleased to hear about the match. “I think it’s great. Wal-Mart does a lot for the community.”

Wal-Mart took out full-page ads in Friday’s USA Today, but many shoppers did not yet seem to be aware of the corporation’s offer, Reed observed.

Bennett is hoping that would soon change.