Sharing is Caring

This blog recently conducted an impromptu poll of customers who encountered a Salvation Army veteran collecting donations in front of a local supermarket. Like most Americans, as it turns out, we had been dropping a few dollars into the ubiquitous Salvation Army red pot for many years around Christmas but knew little about the Salvation Army or what they did with the money. So, we surveyed 12 of the people who had dropped money into the red pot when entering the grocery store. Only 3 of the 12 knew the army was a charity "of some kind".

A Little History

So, we called the Salvation Army headquarters and talked to a knowledgeable, helpful army Colonel. Here's what we learned.

• The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church founded in England in 1852 by William Booth, a minister who decided to abandon the concept of the traditional church pulpit in favor of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ directly to the people.
• Walking the streets of London, he and his wife Catherine preached to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute. When fellow clergymen disagreed with Booth’s unconventional approach, the couple withdrew from the church to train evangelists throughout England. Within 10 years, their organization, operating under the name The Christian Mission, had over 1,000 volunteers and evangelists.
• When Booth read a printer's proof of the 1878 Christian Mission annual report, he noticed the statement, "The Christian Mission is a volunteer army." Crossing out the words "volunteer army," he penned in "Salvation Army." From that inspiration came the name, The Salvation Army.
• The iconic Salvation Army red kettle campaign began in 1891 by Captain Joseph McFee, an American Salvation Army officer who was looking for a way to cover the cost of the community Christmas meal. Recalling his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England, he recreated the “Simpson’s Pot”, an iron pot where charitable donations were placed by passersby.
• Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street, where it could be seen by all those going to and from the ferry boats. By 1895, the ‘kettle’ was used by 30 locations along the West Coast, and by 1897, the campaign was making its mark in the East. That year, the kettle effort in Boston and other locations nationwide resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy.
• The tradition continues to this day. Sharing your donation at Christmastime helps The Salvation Army care for homeless and needy families but also helps serve over 27 million people through a myriad of other services all year long.

A Myriad of Other Services

The Salvation Army today serves in 134 countries around the globe with over 1.8 million members consisting of officers, soldiers, and adherents. Services include:

1. Religious Services provide a place of worship and community without discrimination in every zip code across the United States
2. Disaster Response Services which include assisting survivors of natural and man-made disasters to recover and rebuild their lives
3. Social Service programs provide food, shelter, clothing, and financial assistance for the needy.
4. Casework and Counseling services for health care and abuse counseling.
5. Youth Services with programs for music, athletics, arts, and crafts, camping and family counseling.
6. Senior Centers focused on assisting the needs of older adults.
7. Christmas Programs, in which the famous Red Kettles are a centerpiece, to help families and individuals financially at year-end with toys, meals and other assistance.
8. Human and Sexual Trafficking Advocacy where Army officers and staff are focused on public policy in Washington, D.C. and providing services and advocacy for victims of this international crime.
9. Veterans Services provide a range of support, gifts, counseling, housing assistance, and comfort to those in need.
10. Prison Services include Bible correspondence courses, gifts/material aid, prerelease job training programs, employment opportunities in cooperation with parole personnel, and spiritual guidance for both prisoners and their families

Sharing is Caring is the long-standing motto that succinctly describes the partnership between The Salvation Army and our communities. This Christmas let's help them help us.