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For many, the sound of a tinkling bell around the holidays is a gentle reminder to give back to those in need. For Tanya Kleiman, it's a reminder that when she had nothing but a few changes of clothes and some favorite books to call her own, the Salvation Army was there to help.

Kleiman, a North Potomac resident, stands outside the Potomac Village Safeway six days a week, braving cold temperatures and ringing a gold bell as busy shoppers drop change or bills in the iconic Salvation Army red kettle. The money deposited in the 33 county kettles — the charity hopes it will total $250,000 this year — helps the group give emergency assistance to families throughout the year and offer toys and food around the holidays. The money, 60 percent to 70 percent of which comes in one dollar bills, makes for about a fourth of the charity's yearly budget, according to Maj. Jonathan McBride, a Corps officer for the Salvation Army's Montgomery County Corps.

For Kleiman, 41, the donations are proof that the community cares about those who are less fortunate. But as someone who was once homeless, she says she has a different perspective about what it means to be in need. "A lot of people don't really understand what it's like to have nothing, even though a lot of people are less than a paycheck away from being homeless," Kleiman said.

Kleiman became homeless in 1995 after moving to Jacksonville, Fla., from North Potomac to live with a boyfriend. Upon arriving, she discovered her boyfriend had been evicted from his mobile home. She didn't have enough money to return home.

"I've always tried to be as self-sufficient as I can on my own, and I don't like asking anyone for anything," Kleiman said. It took her nearly two months to work up the courage to ask her family for help. For nearly four months, Kleiman said, she lived in a shelter operated by the Salvation Army. The charity offered her a place to sleep, breakfast and dinner. During the day, however, she was on her own.

"The hardest thing for me was looking homeless, and having a bag full of all my belongings that I had to carry with me all the time," Kleiman said. When she left the shelter during the day, she said, she didn't want to risk leaving her items behind for fear that they might be stolen. "When you have nothing, everything you do have is so important to you," she said.

Eventually, she was able to get in touch with family members who bought her a Greyhound bus ticket home to Montgomery County.

Kleiman took the job as a Salvation Army bell ringer several weeks ago after being unable to find work as a cook for nearly a year. She hopes the $8 an hour will help her with expenses. But she also hopes to benefit the charity that she says saved her from starving.

The Red Kettle campaign, a fundraising program that was originally launched by the Salvation Army in San Francisco in 1891, is a way to raise the profile of the charity and its work for the needy, according to McBride.

"It's just become a symbol of Christmas, both the sound of the bell and seeing us out there," McBride said. "It's also a reminder of the fact that we're helping needy families throughout the year."

In Potomac, Kleiman said, shoppers usually donate about $300 a day.

"People have been extremely generous," said Silver Spring resident Bernice LaFrance, 32, as she rang a bell on a recent snowy Saturday outside the Potomac Village Giant. "It always seems like the people I think won't give, just based on their facial expressions, end up giving."

Kleiman knows the money she collects will benefit those in need. But she also hopes a few words of advice can offer help to the homeless: "Take help when you can get it. Be more accepting of strangers or organizations like the Salvation Army that can really help you."