HOUSTON - The Salvation Army kettle campaign got a jump-start on Nov. 8 as Bells Across America brought attention to the quest of the organization to help the less fortunate. Every Wal-Mart and Sam's Club in the United States participated in the kettle kick-off, enlisting volunteers to ring the bells and collect donations to be used to assist others.

Members of the Exchange Club manned the kettle in Houston, soliciting donations and visiting with friends and neighbors to start the season of giving off right.

Kettles coming out Nov. 24

Following a short break, the kettles will come out in earnest beginning Nov. 24 at Grocer's Pride. Nov. 27 will see the kettles return to Wal-Mart, as well. Both locations will have kettles Monday through Saturday and volunteers are needed to man the sites.

"When we don't have enough people volunteer, we have to hire people to work," said Salvation Army director, Tricia Finn. "That cuts out of the money we can use to help people."

The kettle campaign will go on through Christmas Eve, but the affects will last year-round. The main fund raising activity of the Salvation Army provided funding to assist the needy for the next year.

Make someone's Christmas merry

For the past several years, the Salvation Army has partnered with the local, grass-roots effort to provide the less fortunate with Christmas cheer. The SA Thrift Store on Washington Street in Houston is again the location to adopt a child for a Christmas box or an elderly person for a food box.

"This year, we had about as many elderly people requesting food boxes as we did children to adopt," Finn Said.

For information about volunteering with the Salvation Army or to adopt a child or elderly person for Christmas, call 456-0070 or stop by 114 West Washington in Houston.