Ringing In The Challenge Bells

RINGING

Challenge Bells IN THE by Caylie Howard | photos Courtesy of Mayor Charlotte Wilcox

Salvation Army’s Red Kettle began in 1891 by Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee. McFee became distraught at the thought that so many citizens of San Francisco were going hungry during the holiday season. His solution? Provide a free Christmas dinner to the destitute and poverty-stricken locals. His only major bump in the road was how to find the funds to make this happen.

McFee couldn’t sleep at night as his heart filled with worry. He thought and prayed to develop a solution on how to financially fulfill his commitment to feeding 1,000 hungry citizens of San Francisco on Christmas Day. After many tireless nights of prayer, he was taken back to his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England. McFee remembered that at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot.” People who passed by would simply toss in a coin or two to help the less fortunate.

The very next day, McFee took that idea and used it for his own cause. He placed a similar kettle at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. He put a sign next to the pot that said, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” It didn’t take long after that for him to receive the funds he needed to feed the hungry people on Christmas Day.

Six years after that, the kettle initiative spread from the west coast all the way to the Boston area. That same year, the

combined effort nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners. The Salvation Army now assists more than four and a half million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Captain McFee’s kettle idea launched a tradition that has spread worldwide. Kettles are now used in places such as Korea, Japan, Chile, and more. But in our home area of Denton County, our elected mayors take that tradition one step further with the annual Mayoral Red Kettle Challenge.

The Mayoral Red Kettle Challenge involves the mayors of Lewisville, Flower Mound, and Highland Village, and is a friendly competition to see which town can raise the most money for the cause. “I could not be prouder of our Tri-City residents in Denton County for all they’ve given in the Mayoral Red Kettle Challenge over the past three years. I look forward to seeing what we do this year,” Highland Village Mayor Charlotte Wilcox said.

For the past three years, the Mayoral Red Kettle Challenge has successfully brought our local communities together for an incredible cause during the holiday season. But no matter who wins this year’s battle, there will be joy and applause coming from each mayor and citizen. Mayor Wilcox added, “Friendly competition aside, the Salvation Army is the real winner for all they do to help those in need, and I know we are all grateful to have such an incredible organization in our communities.”