Salvation Army Bell Ringers Kick Off 2015 Campaign
(CBS) -- The sights and sounds of the holidays are upon us as the 2015 Christmas campaign kicked off last week.
1,058 kettle sights and more than 3,000 bell ringers throughout the season.
"Bell ringing is the iconic image of The Salvation Army," said Scott Justvig, executive director of development and communications for the Salvation Army. "We've been doing this for 125 years. This is Salvation Army's favorite time of year. We'll do about 70 percent of our fundraising between October 1 and January 31."
This year's goal is to raise $17 million. Last year, The Salvation Army served more than 105,000 people in the Chicago area and distributing more than 16,000 food baskets.
"We're pretty basic," Justvig said. "Food, shelter, clothing, treatment all those kind of basic needs that people need to get a hand up, it's not just a hand out, it's a hand up. We want to break the cycle of poverty."
Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka is this year's Christmas campaign honorary chairperson.
The bell ringers will be out and about through Christmas Eve and the campaign will continue online at salarmychicago.org through January 31 where donors can host their own online red kettle. Donations can also be made by texting ChicagoKettle to the number 71777. Approximately 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services.