Nov 12, 2008 7:18 pm US/Eastern
Salvation Army Brings Out Holiday Kettles Early
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The Salvation Army is putting its famous donation kettles out early this holiday season because of the poor economy.
You'll start seeing them Wednesday, two weeks earlier than in previous years.
They hope the extra time will allow them to accommodate the increased number of requests for aid this year. They're trying to raise $3 million.
The Red Kettle and bell ringers are a tradition that The Salvation Army has carried on for 126 years.
Other Ways To Help If you're not able to contribute at a kettle, you can donate through their
web site.
Some will also be able to do it with a text message.
Salvation Army officials in Atlanta and Columbus, Ohio are introducing a program that lets donors give $5 by sending a text to a specified number. The donation is added to the donor's phone bill.
They're also experimenting with pages and interactive tools on
Facebook.
How The Kettle Program Started According to the Salvation Army, it began in San Francisco in 1891, after Army Captain Joseph McFee, distraught that many of the city's poorest and most destitute were unable to afford a Christmas dinner, wanted to find a way to help.
He put out a pot for donations at the Oakland ferry landing at the foot of San Francisco's Market Place.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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