With the start of the annual Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign, more people are encouraged to help those in need this holiday season. This Saturday, a group of us at YNN will be at Destiny USA collecting donations to help the Syracuse area Salvation Army with the local campaign. Our Brad Vivacqua reports.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The demand for services provided by the Salvation Army is greater than it's ever been. It won't be long before we hear plenty of ringing in shopping centers and malls across our region.

You're reminded not to just ignore that sound, but rather try to make a difference by helping the less fortunate. Both those donations and volunteers are needed in the Syracuse area to volunteer their time for the annual campaign.

The funds collected during the campaign will allow the non-profit with the upcoming Christmas Bureau Distribution and its general service funding.

Last year the Salvation Army in the Syracuse area provided services to close to 42,000 people. In the last five years, more than 14,000 families and 35,000 children have been served at the annual Christmas Bureau Distribution.

Officials say with a tough economy, new faces rely on these services every year.

"Those are the people who come to my doors and those are the people that we're continually looking for assistance in helping. So, every time you put money into that Red Kettle, you are helping a neighbor, a friend, individuals who come to our doors," said Major George Polarek, Syracuse Salvation Army Area Coordinator.

This year, the Syracuse area non-profit will be giving Golden Kettle Awards to companies, community groups, and individuals that volunteer the most hours as bell ringers.

You're encouraged to get involved by signing up online at SASYR.org.

You can look for our YNN volunteers at Destiny USA this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ringing bells to help the Salvation Army.