Written by: Farah Vitale

The Salvation Army might call this a Christmas miracle. Someone tossed a gold 1979 Krugerrand coin into one of their kettles for the Red Kettle Campaign. The kettle was outside of the BumbleBee Blooms Flower Boutique on Sierra Street. Last year something similar happened. Two rare coins were each wrapped in $100 bills and put in the kettle. They mysterious donation totaled to around $1,300.

The campaign needed the stunning donation this year, as they are 5% below last year’s funds raised. Their initial goal this year was to raise 320,000 dollars. The campaign helps around 2,500 families during the holidays providing food, clothing, social services, and Christmas gifts for children.

Captain Joseph McFee started the Red Kettle in 1981.

During the holidays in San Francisco, McFee came up with the idea of the red kettle by stage landing. Where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” for people to toss in coins for the poor. So he placed a pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. He placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling”next to it. He realized this accumulated enough money to feed the hungry

The idea for the Red kettle spread from the west coast to the Boston area six years later. During that year, there were 150,000 Christmas dinners for the poor thanks to the nationwide combined effort. In 1901, New York City’s kettle donations provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden. This tradition continued for many years. The Salvation Army today helps more than 4.5 million people during the holidays. That’s true Christmas spirit.

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