JOPLIN, Mo. — A little rain couldn’t stop the Salvation Army’s kickoff of Red Kettle Season earlier tonight.

The process of getting kettles and bells out for the holiday season is officially underway. A proclamation was read tonight by State Senator Bill White.

This year — the organization is spreading out beyond Jasper County, by setting up kettles in parts of Newton County as well. The “Red Kettle Campaign” is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Salvation Army. It helps hundreds of families each year.

“Volunteers are the biggest part of it because the more volunteers we have, the more money that we’ll bring in. An unmanned kettle doesn’t bring nothing in and unfortunately, that’s kind of a sad story, but we really need the people out there to bring that money in, whether they can do it monetarily or they can even do it online,” said Lt. Marty Norris, Salvation Army.

The army’s goal this year — $400,000. Anyone interested in volunteering can find a link here.