Did any of you participate in "Harvest Ingathering" before Christmas each year? As kids (and adults) , went out in the evenings going door-to-door asking for donations. A car had a big amplifier on top and played Christmas carols loudly down the streets we were soliciting. Some people would get mad and call the police (loud music & kids solociting). That was scary.

We were cute little kids with a special can to collect money and a memorized speech. Some would drop a quarter in the can. On a rare occasion we would get a dollar bill and we would put it in can so was clearly visible as a "hint" that people should give a dollar.

End of evening we all went back to the church and counted up the money in our cans. It was a big competition tocsee who collected the most and the would write the top three names on blackboard with the amounts. I was almost always in top three and usually #1.

I know this practice stopped at some point (I remember doing it until at least age 14) and now members are asked to make a special offering instead. Clearly became unsavory and unsafe.