NATCHEZ — The Salvation Army is almost synonymous with Christmas.

Bell ringers outside of stores during the holiday season solicit passersby to drop their spare change into bright red Salvation Army kettles.

Those donations are put to good use through the myriad programs sponsored by the Salvation Army year-round — not just at Christmastime.

Among the Salvation Army’s programs are an angel tree program, disaster assistance programs, financial assistance programs for people having difficulties paying rent or mortgages and food, clothing and shelter programs.

Salvation Army of Southwest Mississippi is based in McComb but the office serves Natchez and Adams County, said Director Brenda Kates.

“We serve eight counties and two parishes,” Kates said. “The counties are Adams, Amite, Lincoln, Lawrence, Walthall, Pike, Wilkinson and Jefferson. The parishes are Concordia and Catahoula.”

All of the programs of the Salvation Army extend to the residents of the entire service area and money dropped in Salvation Army kettles in Natchez and Adams County will stay in the Natchez and Adams County community, Kates said.

Kettles are set up at Natchez Markets 1 and 2 and the Southside Market part time, Kates said, and at the Natchez Walmart full time throughout the Christmas holidays.

The Salvation Army used to have an office in Natchez, Kates said, and she is working to bring an office back to Natchez to service people in the Natchez Adams County area where they do not have to travel to McComb to fill out applications for assistance.

“Our first goal is to get an office for social services,” Kates said. “If we can find someone to donate office space a couple of days a week and a volunteer to take intake forms, then families won’t have to come to McComb to get assistance we are already providing to the area.”

If you would like to make a donation to the Salvation Army, go by and drop your donation in one of the kettles.

“We take cash, checks and money orders,” Kates said, adding donors should make checks payable to the Salvation Army.

After Christmas, Kates said the next major program the office would be working on is signing up children for an all-expenses-paid trip to summer camp at Hidden Lake in Lexington, Mississippi.

“We start taking applications in the second week of May,” Kates said, adding the summer camp dates will be announced at a later time.

In addition to dropping donations in Salvation Army Kettles at Walmart and the Markets 1 and 2 and Southside, people can mail donations to P.O. Box 488 McComb, MS 39649, Kates said, adding any checks sent to that address would stay in the Southwest Mississippi region. For more information about Salvation Army of Southwest Mississippi call 601-600-2020.