HOLLAND, Mich. — The all-familiar sound of bells ringing outside of stores started again Friday as the Salvation Army kicked off its Red Kettle Campaign.
The history of the Red Kettle Campaign dates all the way back to 1891. The organization says that's when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee decided that he wanted to give free Christmas dinners to people in the San Francisco area who were struggling with hunger.
Captain McFee put a pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing, at the foot of Market Street, with a sign that said "Keep the Pot Boiling." Soon enough, he had the money to make sure people in need were fed properly on Christmas.
“The dollars that we raise here in Holland, they stay here in Holland. They keep helping the neighbors and folks here in town,” Amos Shiels, Major of the Salvation Army Holland, explained to FOX 17 Friday. “It’s a neat opportunity for folks to come out…and really say publicly, without saying it, that we care about the people in our community and we want to be supportive of them.”
If you’re not able to donate cash, the Salvation Army says you can also donate time.
They’re always looking for extra hands to help ring those bells and you can even host a red kettle.
For more information on how to get involved, click here.
