All of that spare change tossed into the famous Red Kettles at storefronts, will add up to thousands of dollars for the Salvation Army's charity work in Lufkin.

As my family was about to enter a grocery store last Friday, a bell-ringer was standing at the front and I gave my two oldest daughters some change to drop in. They were so excited to drop the coins in, and even though it wasn't much, they're starting to understand what the holidays are all about. And the bell-ringer was nice enough to hand them a sucker for their efforts. We can't promise there will be a sucker in it for ya at every Red Kettle, but the rewards will add up in other ways.

The Red Kettle Campaign kicked off at halftime of the Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day game against the Redskins, and it's going strong across the country. It's the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Salvation Army, and celebrities are among those tweeting their support for it. I caught one supportive tweet from Reba, as she was drumming up support for her new ABC sitcom, Malibu Country, online. She also encouraged us to drop change into the red kettles this season. Done.

If you don't make it out to the Red Kettles in person, there's another way to donate. You can take a donation to:

The Salvation Army, 412 South 3rd Street Lufkin, TX 75901
(936) 634-5132

The impact will be felt well into 2013, as several charitable events in Lufkin benefit through ties to the Salvation Army.

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