"Purple Paper Eater"...Say that five times fast. Go ahead, I'll wait. Could you do it? I sure couldn't. But it's a phrase you should share with your friends, family and co-workers. Tell them it's a recycling truck that travels through Knox, Anderson and Blount Counties collecting items that can be recycled from homes and businesses. You've probably seen it. I know I have...and I wasn't sure what it was! Did you know every year Americans throw away 4.5 million tons of trash! And each of us generates about 4.4 pounds of waste per day! That's incredible!! And what's even more incredible...most of it can be recycled. Recycling saves us energy, it conserves natural resources, it reduces water and air pollution and it protects wildlife. So next time you see the Purple Paper Eater driving down your road, think about how you can feed it.

Now to the red part...

Red Kettles, red bells. The Salvation Army's "Red Kettle Campaign" has begun! Have you ever walked by someone ringing one of those familiar bells and thought, "Man, I bet they're cold." or "I wonder how long they've been standing out here?" But have you ever thought, "I wonder if I can ring a bell too?" or "I wonder who I need to get in touch with to volunteer to ring a bell?" If you have...here's how you do it: Call the Salvation Army at 971-4907. It's that simple! For 2 hours, you can ring a bell for 29,000 people in need in our community. I was told last year the Salvation Army had to PAY people to fill their volunteer hours! The goal is to raise $250,000 this year and fill 5,000 volunteer hours. The money's not just for the Christmas season, it's for the ENTIRE year! It can be done. Grab your spare change, and if you can give 2 hours, grab a bell.

See you in the morning!

Allison