Salvation Army Needs Bell Ringers for Red Kettle Campaign Success

The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, on average, accounts for one-third of all money raised on behalf of the international charitable organization. And this year, they’re in need of volunteers. Although Christmas is a time when we tend to hear the familiar sound of bell ringers throughout Texas malls and shopping districts, the Salvation Army is short volunteers for the Red Kettle fundraising efforts. If you’re in the Irving, Plano, and Fort Worth areas, they could use your help.

According to the Salvation Army, the ideal volunteer is someone who can participate in groups and has the ability to cover a kettle fundraising site for an entire day. Those who have the opportunity to volunteer their time in this last week leading up to Christmas can do so at the link provided here. The Red Kettle Campaign runs from Thanksgiving to Christmastime annually. The tradition began in San Francisco in 1891, when Salvation Army officer Captain Joseph McFee decided to give a free Christmas dinner to the poor. Remembering a large pot he saw placed at the Stage Landing in Liverpool, England some years before, McFee asked San Francisco authorities for permission to place a crab pot on a tripod at the city’s Oakland Ferry Landing. His call of “Keep the Pot Boiling!” brought in donations from the ferry’s passengers and were the humble beginnings of this campaign.

Photo: Facebook/The Salvation Army Temple Texas

In addition to being one of its largest fundraisers, the Red Kettle Campaign also draws awareness to the Salvation Army. In recent years, the campaign has witnessed some declines, most notably in the fact that more people are apt to carry plastic as opposed to having actual money on hand when shopping. The use of debit cards as a means of completing transactions at the very businesses with which the Salvation Army has an excellent working relationship with has hindered fundraising to some extent. In other respects, when more people are finding it hard to make ends meet, charities such as the Red Kettle Campaign tend to get the short end of the stick – which is an irony not lost on the organization. They remain optimistic, however, and will require some large final days at the kettles leading up to Christmas Eve.