PORT CLINTON, Ohio (WTVG) – The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign kicks off this month and local organizations are gearing up for another big year of change. That includes Ottawa County, which is already gearing up for the giving season.

“The reason for the season,” said Ron Uebbing, a returning volunteer bell ringer.

Ron Uebbing and his wife, Helen Uebbing, have been Salvation Army bell ringers for years.

“We spent many years in Florida ringing because it helps you get into the Christmas spirit when the weather is 90 degrees,” Ron Uebbing said.

They stopped going to Florida for the winter, but that didn’t stop them from making a difference.

“We always feel better, we feel like we’re getting more out of it than we put into it,” Ron Uebbing said.

The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign helps raise funds for people who need help. One of these campaigns is to collect toys for children at Christmas, but that’s not all.

“What we are trying to get across is that the money given at the kettles is not intended for Christmas. Toys are for Christmas for children. Most of our fundraising is for kettles and we do it because people in our community need financial help. said Erica Ward, director of the Ottawa County Salvation Army Service Center.

Not only does this fundraising campaign collect toys for children at Christmas, but it also helps fund the Salvation Army for any help needed throughout the year. Salvation Army leaders said needs are growing.

“I will say that all of our financial assistance has increased over the last two years and it’s working families who need financial assistance. Every family, at some point in their life, or every person, is going to go through a tough time and might need something, and that’s what we’re here for,” Ward said.

The Uebbings are among the biggest supporters of this mission.

“I feel more about what Christmas really is,” Helen Uebbing said.

The Salvation Army of Ottawa County said its goal this year is $95,000. You can find bell ringers and red kettles spread across the county starting November 16.

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