Jill Null of the Hancock Salvation Army rings a bell for donations in front of the Greenfield Walmart.
HANCOCK COUNTY — Much like Santa’s elves, Jill Null looks forward to a little rest and relaxation after Christmas time.
The Henry County woman often spends eight hours a day through the month of December volunteering through the Salvation Army Hancock County’s red kettle campaign — setting up and tearing down kettles, collecting money, and ringing bells sometimes for hours when registered bell ringers call in sick.
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Null grinned and greeted customers as they flowed in and out of the Kroger store in Greenfield. Every now and then someone would stop to place a few bills or coins in the red kettle beside her, and Null would voice her heartfelt thanks.
The 65-year-old retiree worked for decades as a psychologist before transitioning to practically a full-time volunteer.
While she’s gotten involved in a number of organizations over the years, “at this point it has become all Salvation Army, all the time,” she said.
While she’s not one to draw attention to herself, the Ft. Wayne native said she can’t imagine life without a generous focus on giving.
“I’ll be honest, it means everything to me as a human being and as a Christian. I feel like we were put on this earth to take care of each other. I was a spoiled only child who could have had anything she wanted. That doesn’t (fulfill me). It’s only what you give away that has any meaning,” she said.
Serving others is the only true path to fulfillment, said Null, who has seen firsthand how impactful the local Salvation Army can be.
When a fire ripped through the Greenfield Crossing Apartments in October, displacing 16 families, the Salvation Army was quickly on the scene providing food, clothing and temporary shelter.
Null said there’s nothing quite like seeing the community’s donations in action, making a real difference in the lives of local families.
“It’s absolutely thrilling,” she said.
When desperate families call in for help with rent or food, volunteers like Null answer the call, directing them to local resources to help them get back on their feet.
Things are especially hectic for the Salvation Army at Christmastime when the iconic red kettles make an appearance, soliciting donations that will help sustain the nonprofit through the coming year.
“Oh my gosh, it’s been rather insane,” Null said last week while driving to set up another red kettle and hand the bell off to a volunteer.
“Every year is so different. I’ve done this for years now and you think, ‘Okay, this is the year we’re just going to cruise on cruise control and everything is going to be easy,’ and then it’s not. It is what it is. It’s an adventure,” she said with a laugh.
As the advisory council chair for the local Salvation Army, she’s among a core group of volunteers who colleagues say work just as hard as if they were paid staff.
“We’re primarily retired professional people that just want to give back to the community that’s been so great to us,” she said.
While Null said she’s undeserving of the accolades, local leaders recognize the dynamic job she does manning the troops and supporting local families in need.
“Jill is a humble servant leader who never seeks any kind of recognition,” said Mary Gibble, president of the Hancock County Community Foundation.
“She is a tireless community servant and a strong advocate for individuals in need. She responds to calls for immediate financial assistance and navigates each person or family’s situation to determine the steps forward,” said Gibble.
Although she can’t recall the exact year, Null guesses she’s been an assistant for the local Salvation Army since 2016.
While she lives in Henry County with her husband, Terry, she spends the bulk of her time helping people in Hancock County.
When she’s not manning and moving red kettles, Null is working directly with those in need, connecting them with resources to address their needs.
“We obviously do direct financial assistance, helping folks in short-term crisis, like people who would have their utilities shut off because they don’t have enough to pay the electric bill,” she said.
This year, the housing market and rising rent rates have made affordable housing especially challenging, said Null, especially for the elderly, the disabled and single moms who pay exorbitant amounts for child care.
“Just trying to make the rent every month has really been tough for many,” said Null, the empathy evident in her voice.
It’s been a tough year for the Salvation Army too, she said, as the downturned economy has increased the community’s needs while making it tougher for nonprofits to generate the donations needed to meet them.
“We have had to steward our resources as best we can,” said Null, who is willing to do all she can to help those in need.
“I get a lot of calls from local motels from folks who have scraped together enough to stay for a few nights, but are at the end of their line. That’s the population that the Salvation Army tries very hard to reach,” she said. “I think that’s important work.”
Gibble said Null jokes that she works out of the trunk of her car, meeting clients at local libraries and churches.
“Sometimes that’s writing a check to help them cover rent when they’ve experienced a crisis. Sometimes that’s a referral to another local agency for additional assistance. Once it was even personally driving a client to Indianapolis so they could get to a relative’s house. She takes dozens of calls per week and goes out of her way to help in any way she can,” said Gibble, who has seen Null regularly connect clients with local resources like the Women’s Resource Center, Love INC and Healthy 365.
“Jill not only helps but she takes the time to understand each client’s unique situation. She is a passionate voice for individuals in need at community meetings and forums, helping build understanding and empathy for those experiencing poverty,” Gibble said.
Null shrugs off the attention, saying it’s all in a day’s work.
“It is so important that we be in community and take care of one another right now,” she said.
“It’s a real privilege to come alongside folks and see them through a time of life when they’re feeling particularly vulnerable, and just to be able to reach out and touch a helping hand. It means so much.”
More than anything else, Null said that community service comes down to relationships.
“We can write all the checks we want to, and that’s good, but at the end of the day the most important part is for people to know there’s somebody out there who cares, who wants to know about them as individuals,” she said.
Read more about Salvation Army Hancock County’s mission to serve local families in need on page ?
