Norristown Firefighters, Salvation Army Launch Red-Kettle Campaign

It’s that time of year again.

Outside of shopping malls, grocery stores, and other public squares, the distinctive ding of the Salvation Army bell and the ruby red of the collection pail signify the holiday season throughout the region.

In Norristown, firefighters teamed up with the charity on Wednesday, helping the Salvation Army establish and work their collection efforts at the Montgomery County Courthouse.

The Red Kettle Campaign was launched in 1891:

In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He only had one major hurdle to overcome -- funding the project.

Where would the money come from, he wondered. He lay awake nights, worrying, thinking, praying about how he could find the funds to fulfill his commitment of feeding 1,000 of the city’s poorest individuals on Christmas Day. As he pondered the issue, his thoughts drifted back to his sailor days in Liverpool, England. He remembered how at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor.

The next day Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had the money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas.

Today, the campaign has spread around the world.

The Salvation Army has centers in Norristown, Roxborough, Pottstown, Montgomeryville, West Chester, Boyertown, and throughout Philadelphia,

Image courtesy Norristown Fire Department.