Kettle Business Is No Small Change : Salvation Army to Give the Poor a $100-Million Holiday

For more than a century the Salvation Army has been collecting loose change and stray souls and making Christmas a little brighter for people who are down on their luck.

By ringing bells, singing carols and filling kettles, the Salvation Army is able to provide Christmas trimmings to those who otherwise might have nothing. Their efforts range from holiday dinners and toys under the tree for the poor to more mundane but equally appreciated gifts such as warm clothes, rent payments or visits to shut-ins.

“There’s really no limit to what we can do,� said Lt. Col. Leon Ferraez, communications director in the army’s national headquarters in Verona, N.J.

This holiday, the army expects to help some 6 million people--nearly one-third of its work for the entire year. The cost will be between $50 million and $100 million.

“Probably closer to $100 million,� Ferraez said.

That’s a lot of nickels, dimes and quarters.

The Salvation Army was born in 1865 in the slums of east London when Methodist minister William Booth and his wife, Catherine, formed an evangelical group dedicated to preaching among the urban poor.

The ministry adopted a military structure--with officers and uniforms--to signify its war against sin. For awhile, the organization was called Christian Mission, but the name was changed in 1878 to Salvation Army.

Several unofficial missions were started in the United States during the 1870s, but the first official “Salvationists� from England did not come to New York until 1880. Now there are 10,000 local missions in the United States and thousands more overseas as the army marches on in 90 nations.

The First Kettle

The tradition of Christmas kettles on street corners originated in San Francisco. In December 1891, Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee wanted to provide a free Christmas dinner to the Bay Area’s poor. However, he wasn’t quite sure how to pay for the food.

He recalled a custom from his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England, when a large pot would be placed on a landing for passersby to toss in charitable donations.

McFee placed a similar pot at a ferry landing and watched it fill up.

This Christmas season there will be 15,000 red kettles on street corners across the United States and 1 million army volunteers collecting donations, paying visits, dressing dolls and performing other behind-the-scenes work.

But despite all the heady figures, the army is barely keeping up.

“We’re finding there’s a greater number of homeless people and a lot more hungry people than in previous years,� Ferraez said. “It’s something we don’t understand.

“The economy seems to grow every year but there’s a segment of society that seems to be depressed and the result is a lot more people out there who need us.�

The army seldom--if ever--turns away anyone. However, there often are tight times.

Last year in Boston, word got out the army was running short on funds and might have to close its doors. Holiday demand was exceeding supplies. But the community rallied and the army continued just as before.

“It’s amazing,� Ferraez said. “There are times when it seems we reach the end of our resources, but the public always responds.

Increased Concern

“There’s been an overall increase in concern among people. ‘Live Aid,’ ‘Farm Aid’ and all the others . . . although those things are just trends, we think it reflects an awakening of the American public that they do have some responsibility to care for their fellow man.�

As always, the Salvation Army flies financially by the seat of its uniform pants.

Ninety cents of every dollar donated goes to help the poor. The army’s full-time brigade--5,000 officers and 27,000 volunteers--work for a veritable pittance. Ferraez, a 30-year army veteran, earns $233 per week.

“Actually, that includes a little extra because I have 25 years of service,� said Ferraez, who has two children in college. “Our housing is provided and somehow the needs are met. We really are not concerned about large salaries. That’s not why we’re working in this organization.

“This is an organization based on faith. We really don’t want anything in return. We find a great deal of satisfaction in serving God and serving people.�