LIHU‘E — Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Black Friday shoppers, a distinct tinkle-tinkle could be heard. The Salvation Army bell that accompanies its Red Kettle campaign appeared with the morning sun as shoppers streamed through the doors at
LIHU‘E — Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Black Friday shoppers, a distinct tinkle-tinkle could be heard.
The Salvation Army bell that accompanies its Red Kettle campaign appeared with the morning sun as shoppers streamed through the doors at Walmart.
“I was prepared to come at midnight,” said Salvation Army Envoy Joy Groenleer. “But I’m here and that shows how badly we need volunteers to man the red kettle.”
Groenleer said the familiar red kettles are manned by community volunteers at locations throughout the island with funds helping the Salvation Army do its benevolent work year round, but especially during the holiday season.
She said Lt. Sarah Smuda of the Hanapepe Corps wanted to get an early start and red kettles started to appear at Westside locations as early as two weeks ago, perhaps motivated by the person who dropped a valuable special coin into the kettle at the Koloa Big Save last year.
“This is a tradition,” Envoy Larry Groenleer said during the Salvation Army Community Thanksgiving Lunch. “Other corps wanted to start the campaign early for fear of not meeting goal, but this is a tradition, and if we don’t make our goal, so be it.”
Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee was distraught because there were so many individuals going hungry in San Francisco in 1891, states the Salvation Army website.
This inspired him to try and provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. But there was a major hurdle — funding the project.
While pondering the source of funds, he recollected his sailor days in Liverpool, England where at Stage Landing, a large, iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” collected a coin or two from passers-by to help the poor.
Motivated by this, McFee placed a pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing with a “Keep the Pot Boiling” sign. This was able to provide him with funds to see that needy people were properly fed at Christmas.
Six years later, the kettle idea had spread to the East Coast where the combined effort resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the needy.
Today, the tradition continues and the Salvation Army assists more than 4.5 million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time period.
McFee’s kettle launched a tradition that has now spread internationally. Kettles can be found in Korea, Japan, Chile, and numerous European countries. The public contributions to the Salvation Army kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round efforts at helping those who would otherwise be forgotten.
“We welcome groups and individuals to man the kettles,” Groenleer said. “All we ask is people commit to a minimum of two hours. We set up the kettle and following their shift, we come and do the collection.”
Youth are welcome to ring the bells, and for those who prefer, musicians are also welcome, she said.
“I would’ve practiced up on my trumpet skills and done some Christmas carols, but I didn’t have enough time, so the bell will have to do,” she said, pausing to thank a young shopper dropping a deposit.
Anyone under 18 is asked to be accompanied by an adult chaperone for safety reasons, she said.
Currently, the Salvation Army maintains kettles at Walmart, Big Save in Lihu‘e, Times Supermarket, Longs Drugs, Safeway and various Westside locations including Ishihara Market in Waimea.
“Next year, we’re thinking we would like to kick off the Red Kettle campaign with a celebrity ringer, so all you Kaua‘i celebrities, be looking for a letter,” Groenleer said. “We also would like to have a kettle at the Hanalei Big Save, but need volunteers for that to happen.”
Call 245-2571 or 335-5441 for more information, or to register to volunteer as a bell ringer at the red kettles.
