When Christmas rolls around, and Salvation Army bell ringers are outside stores and on the streets, people are usually more than willing to loosen their wallets to help the cause.

But, when the holidays are over, people often forget about this organization.

Christmas is literally only a drop in the bucket for the work the Salvation Army does in the community every year. Hundreds of families benefit from their services.

Today, the community has a great opportunity to help the Salvation Army continue its good work through the annual spaghetti lunch fundraiser.

The lunch, which lasts from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., will include pasta plates and sauce with green beans, bread and a dessert for $6. The meals will be served out of the Salvation Army’s Franklin Street office for only $6 a plate.

When your stomach starts to rumble today, why not fill it up for a good cause?

Volunteers who understand the importance of the Salvation Army in our community prepare most of the food. Many grew up in the Salvation Army, attend church services there and have a passion for helping others.

They have spent more than a month planning, shopping and preparing for the big day. They have worked extremely hard.

Now, it’s our turn to return the favor by dropping by and making sure there is no food left by the time the lunch is over.

If spaghetti isn’t your favorite, drop by and make a donation. It certainly goes toward a good cause.

During the winter holidays, the community came together to make sure 900 angels from the Salvation Army Angel Tree had a gift from Santa when the big day arrived.

Today, we need to bring out the holiday spirit once again to support programs for the other months of the year.

In the Black Belt, there is a tremendous need for this organization. We are the most economically depressed area of the state.

There are so many families that need the assistance the Salvation Army provides.

We are all going to eat lunch at some point today, so why not fill our bellies for a good cause?

Let’s do our part to make this the most successful spaghetti lunch ever. At $6 a  plate for a home-cooked meal, there is no reason to stay away.