She wakes up before anyone else in the house. It's early, and she knows that all of her friends are still asleep, warm beneath their blankets. 

She knows that in a short while she will be out in the freezing cold while many people are waking up to a warm breakfast.

But it's the minority that can't afford a warm meal in the morning that keeps 20-year-old Sarah Gary coming back to the Salvation Army year after year.

She arrives at the mall around 9 a.m., knowing that the five hours a day, several times a year will change a person's life.

 The reactions of those people who are helped by the Salvation Army are the reason I do this every year. Sarah Gary, junior at UT"The reactions of those people who are helped by the Salvation Army are the reason I do this every year," Gary said.

Gary, a junior at UT, has been volunteering to ring the bell for the Salvation Army kettle donations for as long as she can remember.

"My mom started bringing me and my younger sister to do the kettle when I was about four, and I've been doing it ever since," she said.

So it came as a bit of a shock to her when she heard that certain businesses do not allow the Salvation Army kettle on their premises.

Captain Stan Robison of the Knoxville Salvation Army said Target stores do not allow the kettles in front of their stores and are vague in their reasoning as to why not.

"They just said it's company policy," Robison said.

Captain Todd Mason of the Johnson City Salvation Army said the donations from the kettle are not only used during the holiday season.

"The kettle is one of our biggest fundraisers, and we really rely on the donations from the kettle to stretch out over the month and not just during Christmas," Mason said.

The Salvation Army Web site says that 15 to 20 percent of the total revenue raised by the organization is  through its kettles.

When asked as to why they don't allow the kettles in front of their stores, Target had no comment and referred the Tennessee Journalist to its Web site for more information.

"In order to provide a distraction-free shopping environment for our guests, we do not allow solicitation or petitioning at our stores regardless of the cause being represented," Target's Web site said.

While the Salvation Army kettles are not allowed at Target, the company does contribute to the organization in other ways.

"Target will offer a compilation CD, entitled 'Songs for Greater Good,' which includes various artists singing the season's most popular songs and a holiday ornament - both benefiting The Salvation Army - this holiday season. With the purchase of each CD, $2 will go to support The Salvation Army," Target's Web Site stated.

Locations in Knoxville that allow the kettles include Wal-Mart, Kroger and West Town Mall.

If you would like to donate to the Salvation Army's kettle you can go to any participating store, or donate online at www.salvationarmyusa.org.