Photo by Deb Gau Lyon County Salvation Army bell ringers LeeAnn Stensrud and LaNaye Hennen greet Hy-Vee shopper Shelley Buntjer as she entered the store on Wednesday afternoon.

MARSHALL — Shelley Buntjer was greeted by some smiling faces and the sound of ringing bells when she entered the Hy-Vee store Wednesday afternoon.

LeeAnn Stensrud and her grandmother LaNaye Hennen said hello as they rang bells for the Lyon County Salvation Army red kettle campaign.

“We volunteer a lot together,” Stensrud said.

Hennen said she wasn’t just ringing bells with Stensrud on Wednesday — she’d also be back Saturday, to ring bells with an exchange student her family is hosting. “It’s fun to do,” she said.

There are Salvation Army kettles at Hy-Vee, Runnings and Ace Home & Hardware in Marshall, said Dennis Ozmun, of Lyon County Salvation Army. Ozmun said there are still opportunities to volunteer as a bell ringer. He said 90% of the funds raised by the kettle campaign go to help people in the county, through United Community Action Partnership.

According to the Salvation Army, the Red Kettle Campaign has become a holiday tradtion and is the oldest annual charitable fundraiser of its kind in the United States, helps raise money for those who need it most in communities nationwide.

How to volunteer

People can call 507-829-8978 to sign up to help the Lyon County Salvation Army collect donations during the holiday season