As our club has done for the past few years, we will again be ringing in the holiday season with the Salvation Army, volunteering to raise funds for this organization's work in our community.
Our Area Governor Victoria Emmons-Bouzina shared the following story from the Salvation Army's recent newsletter on the history of the red kettle.
The Story Behind the Red Kettle
In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee came up with the idea to provide a free Christmas dinner to over 1,000 homeless and hungry people in San Francisco.
He only had one problem: how to pay for it.
After a great deal of prayer, he remembered the "Simpson's Pot," a large iron kettle back home in Liverpool, England, into which passersby would throw spare change to help the poor.
The next day, he set up a similar pot at the foot of Market Street in San Francisco. Beside it, he placed a sign that read "Keep the Pot Boiling." Soon, San Franciscans began dropping spare change into Captain McFee's donation pot. By the end of the day, he had collected enough money to fund his Christmas feast.
Thus, the Red Kettle was born.
Today, The Salvation Army's Red Kettles and bell ringers are a comforting tradition at Christmastime.
Even the famous Christmas carol "Silver Bells" was inspired by the sound of volunteers ringing Salvation Army bells during the Christmas season.
In-person and virtual donations to our Red Kettles allow us to offer the opportunity to share God's love with millions of people by providing practical help to those who might otherwise be forgotten - lonely seniors, people who are ill, families trapped in poverty, and countless others.
Each time you see a Red Kettle, please remember that your gifts are changing lives through the work of The Salvation Army. If you can, please send a gift today in the envelope provided so we can help even more of our neighbors in these unprecedented times.
-Stay tuned for opportunities to sign up for our annual bell-ringing event.
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Create Hope in the World
Missoula, MT 59804
United States of America