Red Kettles

The Red Kettle is possibly the most recognized icon of The Salvation Army. With fifty Red Kettle sites in Spokane County alone, it is almost impossible to miss seeing someone ringing a bell and collecting donations using the famous Red Kettle during the holiday season.

Red Kettle Facts

• 85% - 90% of kettle workers are paid employees who earn minimum wage, and only 10% - 15% are volunteers. Although it is ideal to staff kettles with as many volunteers as possible to keep expenses at a minimum, the paid kettle worker position provides an opportunity for those who might not be employed elsewhere. In other words, the paid position is actually another service that The Salvation Army provides to allow individuals to provide Christmas cheer for their families.
• The Red Kettle Campaign starts the Friday prior to Thanksgiving and runs through Christmas Eve. Kettles are staffed every day except Sundays to honor the Sabbath.
• A "healthy" kettle can generate as much as $450.00 on a given day. However, some kettles can raise as much as $1,200.00 especially if that kettle is being staffed by a group of volunteers.
• Most donations consist of cash and coins, but occasionally we receive personal checks, diamond jewelry, foreign currency, and gold coins (not to mention the buttons, paper clips, vitamins, and pocket lint that also make their way into the Red Kettles).
• All donations received in Spokane County remain in Spokane County.
• 82-cents of every dollar received goes directly to programming. The Better Business Bureau asks charities to allocate no more than 35% of their budget to administration expenses. The Salvation Army cuts this allowance in half.
• In 2006, the Red Kettles raised $216,700.00, after expenses. Just over half of the money raised came from Red Kettles at Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer locations.

History of the Red Kettle

The Red Kettle's career as a fundraiser began in 1891 when a Salvation Army officer, Captain Joseph McFee, resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner to the poor of San Francisco. From his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England, the captain remembered a large pot displayed on the Stage Landing, called "Simpson's Pot." Passersby tossed charitable donations into the pot.

Captain McFee received permission from city authorities to place a crab pot and tripod at the Oakland ferry landing at the foot of San Francisco's Market Place. The kettle - and McFee's request to "Keep the Pot Boiling!" - drew a lot of attention from ferry passengers. So began a tradition that spread throughout the United States, then the world.

Kettles are now used around the world, including Japan, Chile and Europe. Public contributions to the kettles enable The Salvation Army to bring the spirit of Christmas to the aged and lonely, ill, poor and disadvantaged, inmates of jail and other institutions -- people otherwise often forgotten. Last year, The Salvation Army in the United States aided nearly 5 million people at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Kettles have changed since that crab pot in San Francisco. Today, some kettles have such devices as a self-ringing bell, a booth with a system that broadcasts Christmas carols, even the capability to accept credit card donations! Whatever the innovation, though, the message --"Doing the Most Good" -- still supports this enduring program.

Volunteers

Volunteering for the Red Kettles is a holiday tradition, a jolly good time, and the best way to help during the holiday season. By ringing a bell for just one day, a group can raise enough money to provide seven to ten families with a month's worth of supplemental food.

Groups or individuals may volunteer to staff a Red Kettle for an entire day or at least a three-hour shift at the Red Kettle location of their choice. Most Red Kettle locations are outside; however, there are a few indoor locations that can be used for groups with special needs.

To volunteer for the Red Kettles, please contact Christy Markham at 325-6810.