GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It feels like the very start of the holiday season each year -- the Salvation Army's Red Kettle Christmas Campaign is back.
The annual event kicks off Friday, Nov. 9 at noon. For the next six weeks, people will be ringing bells, and collecting donations for the Salvation Army in Kent County.
The campaign officially kicks off noon at the Knapp's Crossing D&W, located at 2000 East Beltline NE in Grand Rapids. There will be remarks, music and hot chocolate -- and it's also where the financial goal for the season will be announced.
According to the Salvation Army, the bell ringing season starts each November and runs through Christmas Eve, when the red kettles are packed away for the season.
Volunteers are the difference between an empty kettle and one that raises about $30 per hour – enough to provide a family with two bags of groceries, or shelter an individual for a night.
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