The Salvation Army Christmas Kettle

The Salvation Army Christmas Kettles – 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 fulfil 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.

The Salvation Army in Toronto, launched its Christmas Kettle Campaign on November 17th, marking the 124th year that the organization has sought donations from the public to help millions of Canadians living in poverty. With a $3-million fundraising goal, the campaign will enable local Salvation Army units to work with individuals and families to give them basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and other provisions to help them day to day. Contributions will also help The Salvation Army provide life-changing programs, such as substance abuse recovery, housing supports, job and skills training, and education classes, to help people find a way out of poverty, permanently.

Captain McFee’s kettle idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States and Canada, 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.