Salvation Army’s Red Kettles Turn Coins into Compassion
Dear friends,
May I please take the liberty to share this with you?
The money collected through the red kettles are used to help the needy, the sick, the aged and other less fortunate individuals including yours truly some 20 years ago, especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Salvation Army cared for me and loved me until I could learn to love myself
Red Kettle History
courtesy of TSA - DFW Metroplex
In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He only had one major hurdle to overcome -- funding the project.
Where would the money come from, he wondered. He lay awake nights, worrying, thinking, praying about how he could find the funds to fulfill his commitment of feeding 1,000 of the city's poorest individuals on Christmas Day. As he pondered the issue, his thoughts drifted back to his sailor days in Liverpool, England. He remembered how at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called "Simpson's Pot" into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor.
The next day Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, "Keep the Pot Boiling." He soon had the money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas.
Six years later, the kettle idea spread from the west coast to the Boston area. That year, the combined effort nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy. In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden, a custom that continued for many years. Today in the U.S., The Salvation Army assists more than four-and-a-half million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time periods.
Captain McFee's kettle idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States, but all across the world. Kettles are now used in such distant lands as Korea, Japan, Chile and many European countries. Everywhere, public contributions to Salvation Army kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round efforts at helping those who would otherwise be forgotten.
Today, bell ringers and red kettles are seen on many reputable stores and malls across the world. They use bells to attract the attention of passersby, some volunteers even sing Christmas carols or play musical instruments to raise donations. Some of the newer kettles even have a self-ringing bell and a PA system that plays Christmas carols.
They say Christmas is about sharing and giving. Regardless of religion, there are many different organizations that help those in need, the Salvation Army is one of them.
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