Red Kettle History
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, and 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.
In 2015, The Salvation Army here in Newark, Ohio; was able fill the needs of over 1,100 families: to warm over 3,100 people with coats and 500 blankets, supply more than 930 boxes of food, and provide presents and clothing to greater than 3,900 children in our community during the Christmas Season.
There’s no doubt you’ve probably seen one of our many red kettles outside of your favorite store over the years. The money raised in those kettles, and the sponsored signage also helps to support our daily operations throughout the year. Besides Christmas, we help individuals through our homeless shelter, soup kitchen, programs for youth, emergency disaster services and comprehensive assistance for groceries and utility bills.
Now, in 2016; there are several ways that you can contribute to a Red Kettle near you!
Donate to our Online Red Kettle, or Create Your Own Kettle to Benefit the Newark, Ohio Corps:
Start your own online Kettle!
Sponsor-A-Kettle
For $500 we will have a custom printed sign with your company’s name and/or logo at one of our kettle stands for the entire Kettle Season.
We only have a select few locations available! Make sure to reserve yours today!!!
Adopt-A-Kettle
Kettles are out at approximately 15 different locations throughout Licking County from Nov. 19th—Dec. 24th. Each day, a Kettle needs to be “manned” by someone from 10a-7p, Tuesday—Saturday. We are always looking for volunteers to help. A couple of ways you could volunteer—
Pick a day and have your employees rotate throughout the day to man the kettle.
Recruit five friends and/or family members—if each person mans the kettle for two hour, you will have covered the entire day!
Match-A-Kettle
Select a day and a kettle location and match the funds collected for that day.
You can even combine efforts and match what you or your company collects for the day.