Every year, the girls hockey team stands outside a Lunds grocery store for hours bell-ringing to raise money for the Salvation Army.

“We have a lot of fun, we end up singing songs and we bring awareness to the cause,”  said Stephanie Sween, senior. “The captains usually choose [where to volunteer], but bell ringing started awhile ago and now it’s kind of a tradition.”

However, bell-ringing reaches lengths greater than just upholding a tradition. The hockey team is a group of loyal volunteers, which has become crucial for the upkeep of the charity.

Currently, the Salvation Army is facing a dilemma; as the number of hungry people arriving at the doorsteps of the charity has increased, the number of unpaid volunteers has fallen. Staff expressed concern about their services in the coming months.

“We are just weeks away from kids being out of school,” said Jessica Herring, program administrator at the Salvation Army. “We always see a big jump in demand for food once they are no longer getting breakfast and lunch at school.”

HHS has a number of students who depend on free and reduced lunch. During the summer, this becomes unavailable and those students must find other ways to obtain affordable meals.

In 2014, the Salvation Army served 495,700 meals in the Twin Cities. Since then, it was reported that the number of people in need approaching the charity has nearly doubled. With a shortage of helping hands, providing necessary alms becomes difficult.

The hockey team was discouraged to hear about the lack of volunteers and encourages others to give back.

“I think it’s kind of sad; people should donate their time. You feel good when your time is going towards doing good for others,” said Gretchen Patterson, senior.