It’s as much a traditional sight during the holiday season as Christmas trees or wreaths; the red kettles from the Salvation Army are now in service, collecting from shoppers over the next few weeks to help out those in need.

Last year; volunteers from 19 churches and 16 organizations were on duty around Knoxville; and county-wide volunteers collected over $47,000 dollars. That’s three times more than was originally brought in back in 2003, when kettle collections began in earnest here in town.

Merna Furney from the First United Methodist Church oversees the bell ringing campaign; she tells KNIA/KRLS News says people are usually very generous to the Salvation Army this time of year.

“We usually get quite a lot; last Friday it was such a nice, warm day; and we were ringing, and we took in over $1,000 that day,” Furney says. “And that’s a good day for us if we can do that. It just makes a difference if we’ve got all the slots full.”

Furney says they had 676 people volunteer last year, down over 100 from the year before; she says if anyone is interested in helping out, they may contact her through First United Methodist Church or call (641) 842-3072.

For more information on Salvation Army bell ringing, tune in to today’s edition of Let’s Talk Knoxville.