NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. - The Salvation Army 2023 Red Kettle campaign is coming to a close. The final day for the annual fundraiser is this Saturday

Spectrum News caught up with bell ringer Owen McGann to talk about the work of raising donations as it comes down to what he calls "crunch time" for the effort.

"You have to talk to them," McGann said. "They come in and out of the store, you greet them with a good morning. When they come out, you say Merry Christmas to them and most likely they'll put a donation in for you."

Across the state this year, the Salvation Army Massachusetts Division hopes to raise more than $2 million. They said the donations they receive through the kettle campaign helps the work they do year-round.

On a national scale, the Salvation Army said they assist more than 4 million people during Thanksgiving and Christmas time.

McGann said he's been working for the Salvation Army Worcester Corps on and off over the last decade, and he looks forward to helping carry out the mission of "doing the most good."

"Doing the most good means to me, it's helping out the people that need it the most," he said. "We help out the people in Main South in Worcester. Over Thanksgiving Day, we supplied 250 turkeys to 250 families, and we had all the fixings for them. So that made me feel good just doing that.

"And just going over to the presents for the children, we have two track and field trucks full of presents. We unloaded them all, the workers of Salvation Army and the volunteers, thank you to the volunteers. Just knowing that the money gets spent to the communities, it’s the best thing, doing the most good."

McGann said he'll be working every day until the campaign ends, so you may see him if you're out doing some last minute shopping in the Worcester area.