OGDENSBURG -- Bells are again ringing this holiday season for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign.

Volunteer bell ringers and donations are needed, said Captain Scott Murray, Ogdensburg’s Salvation Army pastor.

“Most people don’t know that we use the money we raise at Christmas throughout the entire year. We serve around 100 families a month through our food pantry, which is about 375 people every month. We just provided 100 families with a Thanksgiving food basket,” said Murray.

His organization serves not only Ogdensburg, but also Heuvelton, Morristown, and Lisbon zip codes.

That money is used to provide funding to purchase food and help people with rental and utility assistance,” said Murray.

“In March of this year, we kicked off a Celebrate Recovery program. It is our fastest growing program. I’d argue that it is also perhaps our most important program. We have some exciting programs that will start in the new year that are in the final stages of development & approvals, but are geared towards youth,” he said.

“So far we have about 100 Christmas assistance applications. We will have one last day to come in to sign up, on Wednesday, December 7, from 9 a.m.-noon. If people are working during those times, they can call the office at 315-393-3351 to schedule another time to come in after December 7,” he said.

The Marine “Toys for Tots” is again assisting the Salvation Army in providing toys for children. An Angel Tree is set up inside Ogdensburg’s Walmart for those wishing to buy clothing for an individual child. Tags with a child’s age and clothing size can be selected from the Angel Tree to buy for a child.

Volunteer bell ringers are still needed for the annual Red Kettle Campaign to collect donations to support the Salvation Army’s year-round program. If interested, email scott.murray@use.salvationarmy.org or call 315-393-3351.

“From start to finish, we have over 250 four hour shifts that I need cover during our kettle campaign. Volunteers are the backbone of this effort,” said Murray.

About 90% of the money raised from the Red Kettle Campaign stays in the community. The Salvation Army is a pretty lean organization. Our volunteers are the army behind The Salvation Army,” he said.