Remember the Poor: A Salvation Army Christmas Box
Title
Remember the Poor: A Salvation Army Christmas Box
Subject
Description
Signs like these accompanied the early Salvation Army Kettles. The words "Keep the Pot Boiling" encouraged passers-by to make a contribution, assuring them that "Every Little Helps." In this particular instance, money was being collected to provide a free Christmas Dinner for 25,000 poor people at the Grand Central Palace in New York.
In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee had the idea to provide a free Christmas dinner to the poverty-stricken of San Francisco. Committed to feeding 1,000 impoverished people, he needed a way to fund the project.
Thinking back to his time as a sailor in Liverpool, England, he recalled a large iron kettle (known as Simpson’s Pot) that was set up where the boats came in. Here, people could contribute their spare coins to help those less fortunate. This gave him the idea for what would eventually become the infamous red Salvation Army Kettles of today.
Captain McFee set up a similar kettle, accompanied by a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” Soon, he had raised enough money to feed the needy people at Christmastime.
Years later, the idea spread across the country to Boston, resulting in 150,000 Christmas dinners. In 1901, New York City raised enough money to provide a huge sit-down meal in Madison Square Garden.
Since Captain McFee’s original kettle in San Francisco, the the custom has spread across the world to places such as Korea, Chile, and Europe. In modern times, the funds from Salvation Army kettles help more than 4.5 million people during the holiday season.
In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee had the idea to provide a free Christmas dinner to the poverty-stricken of San Francisco. Committed to feeding 1,000 impoverished people, he needed a way to fund the project.
Thinking back to his time as a sailor in Liverpool, England, he recalled a large iron kettle (known as Simpson’s Pot) that was set up where the boats came in. Here, people could contribute their spare coins to help those less fortunate. This gave him the idea for what would eventually become the infamous red Salvation Army Kettles of today.
Captain McFee set up a similar kettle, accompanied by a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” Soon, he had raised enough money to feed the needy people at Christmastime.
Years later, the idea spread across the country to Boston, resulting in 150,000 Christmas dinners. In 1901, New York City raised enough money to provide a huge sit-down meal in Madison Square Garden.
Since Captain McFee’s original kettle in San Francisco, the the custom has spread across the world to places such as Korea, Chile, and Europe. In modern times, the funds from Salvation Army kettles help more than 4.5 million people during the holiday season.
Creator
Detroit Publishing Company (collection accessed through Library of Congress)
Date
1903
Source
https://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/det/4a00000/4a05000/4a05600/4a05617r.jpg
Relation
Rights
Source: Red Kettles. (n.d.). The Salvation Army. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from http://bit.ly/VZxX3b.
Publisher
Library of Congress
Contributor
Library of Congress
Format
Medium: Photograph
Language
English
Type
Photo
Identifier
Salvation Army, Christmas, Poverty, Kettle, San Francisco, Anti-Poverty
Coverage
California
Files
Reference
Detroit Publishing Company (collection accessed through Library of Congress), Remember the Poor: A Salvation Army Christmas Box, Library of Congress, 1903
Cite As
Detroit Publishing Company (collection accessed through Library of Congress), “Remember the Poor: A Salvation Army Christmas Box,” Virtual Museum of Public Service, accessed April 24, 2024, https://vmps.omeka.net/items/show/312.