Photo courtesy of Paul Bridgland Santa Claus was ready to ring sleigh bells for the kickoff of the 2024 Salvation Army kettle campaign in Marshall. This year’s “Santa-Thon” will be at the Marshall Hy-Vee on Saturday.

MARSHALL — The holiday season is coming back, and volunteers will once again be ringing bells for the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign.

The kettle fundraising campaign starts this weekend in Marshall, and the main event will be Saturday, said Paul Bridgland, with the Lyon County Salvation Army. During the “Santa-Thon” event, Santa Claus will be at the Marshall Hy-Vee, ringing bells by the Red Kettle.

“It kind of kicks everything off for us,” Bridgland said. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., people can stop by to say hello to Santa and make donations to the Salvation Army.

“Hy-Vee is going to match what we raise, up to $1,000,” Bridgland said.

A mission to help others drivers the kettle campaign, Bridgland said. Out of the donations collected in Marshall, 88% goes to help people in Lyon County, he said. The Lyon County Salvation Army works closely with area organizations like United Community Action Partnership, to help make one-time emergency assistance available to people with immediate needs.

Last year, the Lyon County Salvation Army was able to raise around $37,000. Bridgland said organizers are hoping for a strong community response this year, too.

There will be three sites in Marshall where people can donate to the Red Kettle campaign. Kettles will be at Hy-Vee, Runnings and Ace Home & Hardware. Area residents can also sign up as bell-ringers at each of those locations. “We welcome groups as well as individuals,” Bridgland said. Volunteers can register online at the Salvation Army’s website, www.registertoring.com.

“It’s relatively new,” Bridgland said of the site. The website lets people search for volunteer opportunities by city, location and date.

Bell-ringing isn’t just fun – it’s an important part of the kettle campaign, Bridgland said. “It makes a huge difference in the amount of donations.”