In 1891, a SALVATION ARMY captain in San Francisco resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner to the area's poor. But how would he pay for the food? As he went about his daily tasks, the question stayed in his mind. Suddenly, his thoughts went back to his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England. He remembered the large pot, called "SIMPSON'S POT" that used to be on Stage Landing, into which passersby threw charitable donations.

The next morning, he secured permission from the authorities to place a similar pot at the Oakland ferry landing at the foot of Market Street. No time was lost in securing the pot and placing it in a conspicuous position, so that it could be seen by all those going to and from the ferryboats. In addition, a BRASS URN was placed on a stand in the waiting room for the same purpose.

Thus, Captain Joseph McFee launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States, but also throughout the world. By Christmas 1895, the kettle was used in thirty Salvation Army Corps in various sections of the West Coast area. The Sacramento Bee of that year carried a description of The Army's Christmas activities and mentioned the contributions to street corner kettles. Shortly afterward, two young Salvation Army officers who had been instrumental in the original use of the kettle, William A. McIntyre and N.J. Lewis, were transferred to the East. They took with them the idea of the CHRISTMAS KETTLE.

In 1897, McIntyre prepared his Christmas plans for Boston around the kettle, but his fellow officers refused to cooperate for fear of "making spectacles of themselves." So McIntyre, his wife and his sister set up three kettles at the Washington Street thoroughfare in the heart of the city. That year the kettle effort in Boston and other locations nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy.

In 1898, The New York World hailed The Salvation Army kettles as "THE NEWEST AND MOST NOVEL DEVICE FOR COLLECTING MONEY."

In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden, a custom that continued for many years. The homeless poor are still invited to share holiday dinners and festivities at hundreds of The Salvation Army centers.

Kettles are now used in such distant lands as Korea, Japan and Chile, and in many European countries. Everywhere, public contributions to the kettles enable The Salvation Army to bring the spirit of Christmas to those who would otherwise be forgotten-to the elderly and lonely, the ill, the prison inmates, the poor and less fortunate. In the United States, THE SALVATION ARMY ANNUALLY AIDS MORE THAN 7,000,000 PERSONS AT THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS. Kettles have changed since the first utilitarian cauldron was set up in San Francisco. Some of the new kettles have such devices as a self-ringing bell and a booth complete with a public address system over which traditional Christmas carols are broadcast. Behind it all, though, is the same Salvation Army message "SHARING IS CARING."