Times Observer photo by Jessica Rex Bell ringers are pictured outside of the Walmart store in Warren recently.

The Salvation Army Western PA division is in need of both donations and volunteers to meet its $2 million region goal, of which the goal for Warren is $50,000.

According to Captain Angelica Spence, as of right now, about 50% of that goal has been raised. Christmas Eve is fast approaching and there are several ways to donate, including dropping donations off at the local Salvation Army, making an online donation or dropping money into an actual Salvation Army Red Kettle.

Volunteers are still needed to ring the bell at Walmart, Tops and Shurfine. On Saturdays, the North Warren Northwest Savings Bank has a kettle from 9 a.m. to noon. The Arbor House coffee shop will have one on December 20 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. In order to volunteer, contact the Salvation Army at 814-723-8950 or visit www.registertoring.com, where available shifts are listed.

Salvation Army staff members meet every volunteer at the stand and switch out the bucket, allowing volunteers to know how much they were able to raise during their time ringing the bell. According to a news release, an average volunteer bell ringer raises $80 to 100 over the course of a two-hour shift, which can provide up to 200 meals to those in need.

Another fun contest going on is called the “Battle of the Bells,” with the Kiwanis winning last year.

The Zonta and Kiwanis manned a kettle last weekend while the Lions Club and the Rotary will volunteer from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this weekend. Volunteer groups have made themselves available.

“It’s nice to see the social clubs come together to have some friendly competition in serving the community,” Spence shared.

All donations will be doubled Saturday. A divisional head quarter donor is doubling the donations by a match grant. Spence said it’s exciting to see if people don’t realize how much their dollar is, now it’s $2. In addition, there is also a National Commander’s Challenge. The top kettle will be submitted for recognition.

Spence said the demand for Salvation Army services is increasing, with money raised now helping provide services during the year. Serving more than 150 families, the local Salvation Army has a Walmart registry listed on its Facebook page, where items can be directly shipped to the church.