Ring in the Holiday and Help the Salvation Army
It is now officially the holiday season and that means you will see the Salvation Army out at several locations with the Red Kettle Campaign. While you are out shopping,take a quick minute to make a donation to the Salvation Army and thank them for everything they do in our community. The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign has been around for 124 years.
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 decided that he would provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and those in poverty, however there was one huge problem with his great idea: How to pay for the project.
McFee recalled his days as a sailor in England at Stage Landing, where the ships docked, a large iron kettle called "Simpson's Pot" had been placed. People walking by would toss in a coin or two for the needy McFee found at pot and placed a sign next to it that read, "Keep the Pot Boiling."
Word got around quickly, and by Christmas the kettle had raised enough money to feed the poor.
The success of the San Francisco campaign spread to other American cities and by 1897, the Salvation Army used kettles Nationwide and raised enough to feed 150,000 people that Christmas
Over the decades, the Salvation Army's red kettle collections have raised millions of dollars for the organization's work.
Each year, the Salvation Army serves more than 4.5 million people during the holidays.
As you are out shopping here in Billings and you see one of the Red Kettles, please take just a second and drop a donation into the Red Kettle to help those less fortunate this holiday season.
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