Petaluma PD, Firefighters Raise Almost $5K For Families In Need

PETALUMA, CA — Some friendly competition recently between first responders in Petaluma will help make the holidays a little brighter for families in need this year.

Petaluma police officers and firefighters took part in their annual Salvation Army Kettle Bell Challenge.

This year, donors didn't disappoint. The Petaluma Police Department collected $2,815.84 from strangers with big hearts, and the Petaluma Fire Department received $2,140.66 to assist local families with food and gifts this holiday season.

This amount is twice as much as last year, according to the Petaluma Police Department.

"Thank you Petaluma for your generosity and kindness," the police department posted to its official Facebook page. "Both your Petaluma first responder agencies thank you for joining in our annual Salvation Army Kettle Bell Challenge. See you next year!"

From early November through Christmas Eve, volunteers in California and across the nation can be spotted ringing bells beside one of the Salvation Army's iconic red kettles.

According to the Salvation Army, volunteer bell ringers are the difference between an empty kettle and one that raises the funds that sustain the help the organization gives all year long.

It relies on money raised in red kettles to serve more than 25 million people in need each year.