{From the 2023 Christmas Newsprint Magazine}

Written by Megin Potter  |  Photos by Super Source Media Studios

In the 1960s, he broke an NFL record, now, Bob Reed explains how using your conscience as your guide can lead to even greater things. 

Born into a family of nine in the segregated south, Bob Reed’s father, a religious man, taught him the virtues of discipline, determination, and dedication during the Great Depression. 

“I’d ask, ‘Pops, what did you do back then?’ and he’d say, ‘I learned how to eat squirrel, I learned how to eat rabbit, I learned to use the things that were available to me to survive.’ These were lessons passed on since surviving slavery. It was the idea that whatever you do – survive.”

The Salvation Army helps people survive throughout the world. 

The Saratoga Springs Worship and Service Center, 27 Woodlawn Ave., provides showers, secure lockers, meals, food pantry goods, clothing, travel tickets, as well as financial and emergency assistance to those facing hardships (including victims of disasters and human trafficking survivors).

“We’re a church, first and foremost. We preach the gospel and help in the best way we can with the resources we have (or refer individuals to other service organizations),” said Corps Officer Lieutenant Cassidy Dow, adding that anyone of any religion is welcome to access Salvation Army services. “We provide a listening ear, if that’s what people need.”

“Ideally, the Saratoga Springs Corps needs a $900,000 annual operating budget to continue to be effective,” said Reed, shaking his head, “but we’re a long distance away from that.”

In Between, There’s Life

After moving to Vallejo, CA, the Reed family felt as if they’d won the lottery when Bob’s father brought home a $72.52 paycheck from his job at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. “It wasn’t a portion from working as a sharecropper or from the mills. It gave him some dignity,” remembers Reed.

From these humble beginnings, Bob Reed went on to break records while playing for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. He then used his connections with celebrities in sports, business, and entertainment to help philanthropic endeavors including the NFL Alumni Association’s Upstate NY Chapter, Saratoga Springs Rotary Club, and others. Reed became the face of Siro’s and has been instrumental in local organizations including the Frederick Allen Elks Lodge #609 and the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority’s affordable housing initiatives. 

“I’ve been afforded the opportunity to be on the poor end and have been able to rub elbows with the very wealthy, and in between, there’s been life.”

The Behind the Scenes Action

In football, you play for the team while carving your own path, enduring, and leaning-in. It’s only then that you can rise above and go beyond. 

Since 1997, the nationally televised Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game has helped raise awareness among its 35 million viewers to the long-standing partnership between the NFL and The Salvation Army. 

Nurturing these values, principles, and sensibilities behind the scenes are women. For Reed, these were the matriarchs who, like his mother, had incomparable wells of inner strength.

“Food always tastes better off Mama’s plate at the end of the day, the saying goes,” he said. “Women, to me, are stronger than men, and always have been. We think because of the fact that we’re physically stronger and can yell louder, they’re not, but women have more sense, time, and intelligence and that plays more of a role in survival than being bronzed. It’s men’s egos that have always gotten in the way of philanthropic giving.”

The loss of dinner-table discussions and the relentless competition to keep up with the Joneses doesn’t leave very much room for philanthropy, said Reed, but as the results from giving accumulate, philanthropy instills peace of mind within an individual and the community. 

Even with Saratoga residents reporting a high median average salary, the county struggles with homelessness, substance abuse, and human trafficking (among other challenges). 

“Every city in the US has a problem with people who need some kind of assistance, some just keep it separate and keep it private. They try to mask it in a particular way,” said Reed. 

“Just do the right thing (as opposed to later saying, ‘I wish I had’).”

• The Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign runs from December 14th-23rd in 30 locations across Saratoga County. Volunteer bell ringers are needed, and flexible schedules are available. 

To donate directly to the Salvation Army any time of year, click here.