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Bell ringers took their posts on Friday in Greenwood, two days after the official kick off Wednesday of the Salvation Army's annual Red Kettle campaign.
The Salvation Army hopes to raise $55,000 during the season, which lasts 32 days.
Edwards' spent some of Monday as a first-time ringer for the Salvation Army. She has made plans for a repeat performance next year.
Contributors were steady. By mid-afternoon someone had already donated $50, she said.
Rose Mary Valentine Ainsworth of Huntsville, Ala. dropped a donation into the kettle by Edwards.
"I think what they are doing is worthwhile. The Salvation Army did a lot during Hurricane Katrina," Ainsworth said.
Capt. Patrick Lyons, director of the Salvation Army in Greenwood, said the organization has operated a shoe-string budget because of Hurricane Katrina.
The hurricane blew ashore on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in late August, leaving many people homeless and sending them northward.
Charities and faith organizations, such as the Salvation Army, within and outside of the state began forwarding resources to help those in need.
"The checks we normally would receive for our operation went to relief work," Lyons explained.
For each dollar donated during the Christmas season, 90 cents will go to the Salvation Army's programs. Lyons said the organization spends about $200,000 a year on corps activities, which include a camp, after-school tutoring and a music program.
There are seven collection points in Greenwood, Wal-Mart; Big Lots, the two Big Star groceries; the Greenwood Market Place and the Piggly Wiggly.
Cynthia Warren of Greenwood is a four-year veteran of Christmas collections. On Monday, she rang a bell outside the Big Star on Cotton Street.
In 2002, the Salvation Army helped Warren and her daughter during Christmas.
"I owe it back to help them," Warren said.
Lyons said the Salvation Army also has two Red Kettle sites in Grenada and one in Winona.
The story of the Salvation Army's ringers goes back to a man named Joseph McPhee. During the Christmas of 1891, McPhee wanted to provide 100 meals for the less fortunate of San Francisco.
Since then, the operation has expanded to a worldwide collection. "We have red buckets in places like Japan, Korea and Chile," Lyons said.
Willie Martin, another first-timer, kept time with his bell while he sang Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas."
So far, his favorite thing about bell ringing is people's attitudes, he said.
"We have a goal to reach, and I'm going to do my best to reach it," Martin said.
