It’s kettle time.

The Salvation Army of Austin kicked off its annual kettle drive Monday with a $900 donation from the Austin Shriners and a new goal: $125,000 over the next two months through kettle donations and mail appeals.

Lt. David Amick said the kettle drive is but one of several large-scale campaigns Salvation Army volunteers are kicking off over the next few weeks, as the Salvation Army will also be involved in upcoming coat and food drives.

“It’s been crazy,” he said.

The annual kettle drive accounts for about a quarter of the Salvation Army’s annual budget and helps fund Salvation Army programs to help the community.

Amick said the Salvation Army was still looking for volunteers to help participate in the kettle drive. Volunteers have signed up for about 700 hours thus far, but the Salvation Army needs to fill 2,000 more hours. Amick said almost all of the kettle bell stations in the Austin area are indoors, so volunteers likely won’t have to worry about the weather.

Some area organizations don’t worry about things like the weather, however. The Austin Shriners, who are a part of the local Mason Lodge, annually raise thousands of dollars for the Salvation Army, often from a single day of bell-ringing. Last year, the Shriners gave about $8,400 to the Salvation Army.

“It’s always been a treat to help the Salvation Army,” Brad Stout, president of the local Shriners, said.

For more information about volunteering, contact the Salvation Army at 507-437-4566.