Twice in December I volunteered with the local Salvation Army to ring the bell at the mall. This is an activity that I did last year as well and loved it. This year I was able to do it on a sash and people just loved that. This year in Vernon alone there was 5500 hours by 1500 volunteers, which is a lot in a small town. This year the goal was to raise $150000 and I’m happy to say that the goal was surpassed and it was a record breaking year. The money from the Kettle campaign is the main fundraise for the food bank. The Salvation Armys also put on food drives and other events like teddy bear tosses. The Salvation Army is a big part of our community and I am happy to have been a small part of it.