Couple hopes to keep red kettles clanging

It's been a bit of a blue Christmas so far for the folks in charge of the Salvation Army's red kettles.

"The weather is not on our side," said Angela Fox with the Salvation Army's Wilmington office. "Every weekend that we've had kettles out, it's rained."

The Salvation Army's Wilmington corps maintains 45 of the distinctive cash-collecting kettles in its five-county area. Fox said they'd had a time getting helpers to watch the kettles and ring the bell, since so many of them are catching colds and calling in sick.

Fox and her husband Anthony are officer candidates, working under the supervision of Major Mark Craddock, the local commander. In August, they'll be leaving for a two-year training course to become officers, as the Salvation Army calls its clergy.

"You've seen those billboards that we have out, the ones that say 'Build Hope,' " Anthony Fox said. "I don't want people to think that's just a slogan. Every few dollars in the kettle is mortar for that new building we're putting up. Every few dollars means food on the plate."

The kettle drive is the Salvation Army's major fundraiser of the year. Funds raised from the kettles pay for the denomination's social service  programs, its shelter and soup kitchen, its Angel Tree presents for needy youngsters and its Christmas baskets, Angela Fox said. If the local drive doesn't make its goal, the corps will have to borrow money to meet its obligations.

Times are a little tougher for the Salvation Army this season. Its main building on North Second Street lost much of its roof in Hurricane Florence, and much of its work has had to be relocated to the Salvation Army's church building at 228 S. Third St.

The Coxes have an intriguing story. Anthony grew up in Burnsville. Angela was born in Reno, Nevada, but grew up in communities from Massachusetts to Florida.

The couple met in Daytona Beach, Fla., and soon formed a blended family. Anthony had three children of his own; Angela had one. They had two more children together and recently adopted a 4-year-old niece. Four of the older children are grown and living elsewhere.

The Foxes are a little more mature than typical officer candidates. Anthony Fox worked for years in construction, handling commercial insulation. Angela holds a master's degree and worked in behavior analysis when she wasn't a stay-at-home mom.

The couple began seeking a deeper religious experience about a decade ago. "I didn't know what God was calling me to do," Angela Fox said.

She began attending Bible classes through Home League, the Salvation Army's women's group. One night she asked the group to preview an oral presentation that she was planning to make at her regular church. It just happened that this was one of the few nights her husband could attend with her.

Afterward, the local major walked up and said, "God just told me you should be a Salvation Army officer."

"Everything just came together," Angela Fox said.

Reporter Ben Steelman can be reached at 910-616-1788 or Ben.Steelman@StarNewsOnline.com.