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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; With less than two weeks until Christmas, Lt. Ted Tressler sounded the alarm for bell ringers and donations to the Salvation Army&#8217;s red kettle holiday campaign.</p><p>The campaign that began on Nov. 25 has a goal of $113,000 to fund Christmas and ongoing programs, said Tressler, co-commander with his wife Sharon of the Salvation Army of Wilkes-Barre. As of Friday, less than half the total was raised.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re $60,000 short of our goal,&#8221; Tressler said.</p><p>The more kettles in place, the more places to donate and the closer to goal the campaign moves. But volunteers are needed in order for that to happen.</p><p>&#8220;We have 22 locations,&#8221; Tressler said. &#8220;There are plenty of opportunities for people to come out.&#8221;</p><p>He suggested volunteers team up or organize small groups for shifts of at least two hours. Although he would not turn away someone who offered an hour, in terms of logistics it works out better if a shift is at least two hours to allow the limited staff to get to the kettle before the shift ended.</p><p>Friday and Saturday were better than normal with between four to six kettles covered for the full day. Most days just two to three kettles have full-day coverage, Tressler said.</p><p>Joe Butler and Sam Wolfe stood inside the Price Chopper in the West Side Mall in Edwardsville on Friday. The members of the St. Vincent De Paul Knights of Columbus have answered the bell to ring at the kettles.</p><p>&#8220;They need a lot of help,&#8221; said Wolfe of Kingston.</p><p>Their efforts were rewarded as shoppers stuffed folded dollar bills into the kettle&#8217;s slot.</p><p>&#8220;These funds, they help to pay for everything,&#8221; Tressler said. The money goes toward furniture and clothing assistance for families at Christmas, children&#8217;s programs, food boxes, transitional housing at The Kirby House among other programs and services, he said.</p><p>If people are unable to give their time, possibly they can give money and Tressler said dropping some change or bills into a kettle is just one way to contribute. The Salvation Army accepts donations by credit card and online at its secure website. &#8220;It&#8217;s no different than making a purchase from Amazon,&#8221; Tressler said.</p><p>The local Salvation Army helps more than 4,200 people annually and Tressler encouraged &#8220;folks to try and be as generous as they can&#8221; and contribute to the campaign.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Salvation Army bell ringers from the St. Vincent De Paul Knights of Columbus John Butler, left, of Plymouth and Sam Wolfe of Kingston worked their station at Price Chopper in Edwardsville Friday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TTL121315sakettles-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Salvation Army bell ringers from the St. Vincent De Paul Knights of Columbus John Butler, left, of Plymouth and Sam Wolfe of Kingston worked their station at Price Chopper in Edwardsville Friday morning. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Volunteer time or donate money to the Salvation Army of Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s red kettle campaign</strong></p><p>To volunteer call (570) 824-8741</p><p>Credit card donations can be made by contacting (570) 824-8741 ext. 104</p><p>Online donations can be made at pa.salvationarmy.org/wilkes-barre</p><p>Checks can be sent to:</p><p>Salvation Army of Wilkes-Barre</p><p>17 S. Pennsylvania Ave.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Salvation Army sounding the alarm for bell ringers