Christmas bells are ringing throughout the City of Laurel once again as the Salvation Army has officially kicked off its Christmas Kettle season.

A small crowd of volunteers and supporters gathered in the center court area of Sawmill Square Mall Friday to hear Captain Bill Mockabee’s inspiring message.

Mockabee, who directs the local Salvation Army with his wife Stephanie, said the organization has been an “integral part of the community” for over 70 years.

“We’ve been here through good times and bad times, and hard times with the economy,” he said. “The Salvation Army is an army, a frontline to fight hunger, poverty and despair during the Christmas season.”

Mockabee said that, due to the economy, the Salvation Army has touched the lives of over 5,000 people who “more and more need our services and those of other service providers.”

Mockabee said this year’s Angel Tree program, which provides Christmas gifts for needy children, has over 1,600 angels and almost 800 families will be receiving food boxes.

“These kids need to be adopted to make sure they have Christmas presents under the tree this Christmas,” he said. “The community makes this happen.”

Mockabee told the story of Penny, a mother of three small children ages 6, 4 and 2, whose husband left prior to the Christmas season.

“She had nowhere else to turn but the Salvation Army,” he said. “We gave her a bag of groceries, and she was overwhelmed with tears. We also signed her children up for the Angel Tree.”

Mockabee said Penny brought a foil packet into the Salvation Army office that contained cookies she had baked.

“She said she had all of those bag of groceries, and the only way she knew how to thank us was by baking cookies,” he recalled. “Even in the midst of a divorce, when it felt like the whole world was falling down on her, she found happiness and joy during the Christmas season with the Salvation Army.”

Laurel Mayor Melvin Mack, who was the first to pull an angel off the tree Friday, said the Salvation Army provides a valuable resource in the community.

“They’re teaching the young people at our church about giving,” he said. “It really does make you feel good. I’ve sent many people to the Salvation Army for help, and they never tell them no. This is the season for giving.”

Dale Wood, a member of the Salvation Army advisory board, served as master of ceremonies.

Wood discussed the history of the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle, noting it did not start in Laurel but in California more than 100 years ago.

“In 1891, Captain Joseph McFee, who lived in California, wanted to come up with a way to feed the needy and poor during Christmas,” Wood said. “As a young seaman in Liverpool, England, he remembered a charitable pot kept on the dock called Simpson’s Pot, that was used for charitable reasons and causes.”

Wood noted that within six years, McFee was able to feed 150,000 in the California area through use of the kettle.

“Today, the Salvation Army provides for 4.5 million people during the holiday season,” he said. “It’s stretched worldwide. It’s a very worthy cause. As the Salvation Army slogan goes, ‘Caring is sharing and need has no season.’”

Mockabee encouraged individuals, churches and organizations to sponsor an angel on the Salvation Army Angel Tree.

“The process is easy,” he said. “Every angel will have the child’s name, age, clothing size and a wish item. You simply pick an angel of your choice from a tree, shop for that angel and return the gifts unwrapped to the Salvation Army Headquarters at 205 N. 13th Avenue in Laurel. The gifts you purchase for that child will be given to the family of that child during our Christmas gift and food distribution day.”

Mockabee added that the Salvation Army can only provide assistance to those needing help during the holidays through the support of those that live in our community.

“Our funding comes from the generosity of individuals who want to help those who are less fortunate,” he said. “While the Salvation Army is most visible during this Christmas season, the needs continue to press many families all year long.”

Mockabee noted that there are a number of other ways to help the Salvation Army including:

• Volunteer to ring the bell in front of local businesses

• Host your own online Red Kettle at www.onlineredkettle.org

• Volunteer to work at the Angel Tree

• Volunteer to give toys out at distribution

• Make a monetary gift. Checks made out to the Salvation Army can be sent in or dropped off. The mailing address is P.O. Box 2548, Laurel, Miss., 39442.

The Mockabees will also be participating in an Angel Tree kickoff Monday morning at Citizens National Bank in Laurel, located at 1127 Highway 15 North.

Susan Wood, manager of Citizens National Bank, said, “We are an independent, community bank that cares about the families who live around us. In fact, part of our bank’s logo includes the statement of ‘It’s a matter of caring.’ I can’t think of a better way to put our caring into action than to partner with the Salvation Army to help children who need it right here at home.”

For more information about contributing to the Salvation Army or helping during the holiday season, contact the Laurel office at 601-428-4232. More information about the Citizens National Bank Angel Tree is provided at www.yourcnb.com/angeltree.