CINCINNATI, Ohio — It’s the season of giving and many organizations are asking for your help this holiday season, including The Salvation Army.

• If they don’t meet their goal, they will have to cut funding for some of their programs
• They’re heading a fundraising initiative asking anyone that can to give $20 on December 20
• The Salvation Army believes part of the problem this year is how late Thanksgiving was

You might be familiar with hearing that little bell as you go in and out of stores around the holidays.

But this year in Cincinnati, The Salvation Army needs your help to reach their goal.

As customers come in and out of Kroger they hear that little bell, and a greeting.

For longtime kettle bell worker Kenny Bradford, that’s the best part of his job.

“My favorite part about doing this job is meeting and greeting people," Bradford said. "Putting a smile on my ace and they put a smile on mine. I absolutely love it.”

And he never gets sick of hearing that bell

“Absolutely not," he said. "It keeps my jingle going!”

But as familiar as that sound may be for most, the feeling of being this far away from their fundraising goal isn’t for The Salvation Army.

They’re only halfway to their one million dollar goal for the entire Greater Cincinnati area.

“If we don’t make the funds now, we’re going to have to take some really hard looks at the budget and see where we can cut funding," Captain Aaron Moore with the Covington Salvation Army said.

Part of the problem is how late Thanksgiving was this year.

“Years when there’s more days, someone may be able to give 20 single dollar bills throughout the season when they pass it, but this year they may only pass the bucket ten times, and right there that’s ten dollars less," Captain Moore said.

So this Friday The Salvation Army is heading up a give fundraising campaign to give 20 on the 20th- —asking for $20 from anyone that can.

And that money will be put to use through 2020.

“It goes beyond the bells, it’s not just Christmas time," Captain Moore said. "The money goes to service what we do all year long…homeless shelters, initiatives with food, after school programs, for less fortunate. So there’s numbers of thing that the money goes towards. It’s not just for Christmas. ”

As donations are stuffed into the kettle, many givers say they feel it’s the right thing to do

“The Salvation Army does good work and I want to help people," kettle donator Johanna Stegman said. "That’s the way to do it. They’re spending their time out here ringing the bell. He said he could stand here all day and all night and wouldn’t get tired. ”

“I like the organization, I feel like they’re honest and he stands out here and he works very hard every day," another donator, Donna said.
 
And The Salvation Army hopes more will come in Friday to get them closer to their goal.