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Sam Penrod ReportingA familiar sound is ringing out, signaling the beginning of the holiday season. The Salvation Army bell ringers are a common sight this time of year and for the first time ever people will hear the bell ringing in Utah County.
At many grocery and retail stores Salvation Army bell ringers are trying to collect donations to help people in need. The money raised from the red kettle collections goes to help families in need for the holidays as well as to programs that provide food and clothing for the homeless.
The Salvation Army has a goal for Utah County of raising 150-thousand dollars during the holiday season to assist people in need and possibly to expand their programs in the Utah Valley.
Pat Mills, Salvation Army: "They'll be providing Christmas for 2000 families along the Wasatch front this year. The other reason is to test the waters and see how well received they are because they would like to bring their programs down here more often and open up some offices."
Mariah Burton, Bell Ringer: "It's for a good cause. Families can't afford Christmas so I couldn’t sit at home and do nothing. I might as well stand here and ring a bell."
The number of bell ringers will increase to 32 in Utah County after Thanksgiving and they will be out ringing the bells until Christmas Eve. And the bells and red kettles will also be very visible this year in the Salt Lake Valley.
The Salvation Army is also looking for more volunteers to be bell ringers during the holidays; if you are interested in ringing the bell, you can contact the Salvation Army.
