The fall Belk Charity Sale on Saturday provides an opportunity for customers to support local charities while taking advantage of special discounts of 20-75 percent off purchases made during the four-hour event from 6 to 10 a.m.

In return for purchasing a $5 ticket, customers get great buys on rarely discounted merchandise and other items throughout the store. Plus, customers receive a $5 credit on Charity Sale purchases, completely offsetting the cost of the ticket. Charities get to keep 100 percent of the proceeds from each $5 ticket sold.

The first 100 customers in each store on the morning of Charity Sale will receive free Belk gift cards ranging in value from $5 to $100, and a chance to win one of three $1,000 Belk gift cards awarded company-wide.

“Supporting our communities is a Belk tradition, and our Charity Sale is just one way we partner with our customers to offer that support,” said Jessica Graham, vice president, communications and community relations at Belk.

Charity Sale tickets are being sold by participating non-profit organizations and at Belk stores. All revenues from in-store ticket purchases are equally divided among participating charities and schools in each local store.

In addition, all Charity Sale participants will be entered into a drawing to win one of three $1,000 cash awards (one in each of the three Belk operating divisions) for their school or non-profit organization.

The spring 2012 Belk Charity Sale raised more than $5 million for nearly 8,000 schools and community nonprofit organizations in Belk markets, and last year, the two Charity Sale events raised a total of more than $10 million for participating charities.