GAIL DRAKE: The red kettle of compassion

That cheerful bell is one of the most familiar sounds of Christmas. What shopper hasn’t enjoyed the ringing, tinkling as they “rush home with their treasures?” Sometimes the bells are accompanied by singing and occasionally by trumpets, trombones and sometimes a tuba.

And so many community leaders and famous folks get into the act, cheerfully ringing and waving, “Merry Christmas!” Bells have been rung by comedian Bob Hope, Mr. Bean, and even Snoopy. Famous movie scenes of bell-ringers and bands include “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Grinch,” “A Christmas Story” and “Maid in Manhattan,” to name a few.

All graciously inviting us, the blessed, to give to those who suffer hunger by tossing coins into the ubiquitous “Red Kettle.” This year a 32-foot-tall red kettle structure lights up Times Square. 2020 marks the 24th year the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Kettle Kickoff Halftime Show during their Thanksgiving football game. Country star Kane Brown brought a star-studded performance, expressing his appreciation for the Army because “there were times growing up when my family did not have enough to eat or a roof over our heads, and today there are so many people in need.”

So where did all these red kettles come from and why is this cheerful job detail so important?

It was December in San Francisco. The famed “red light” district known as the “Barbary Coast” was a hotbed of gambling, prostitution and kidnapping for forced labor on ships. The city’s population had exploded with the promise of jobs, stressing the famous infrastructure that included novel cable cars that traversed the steep hills. The city was rife with political corruption and poverty.

Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee walked the streets of the city, troubled that so many homeless were going hungry. He resolved that he would provide free Christmas dinner for the destitute and impoverished. There was only the small obstacle — of funding the dinner.

As he prayed and pondered, McFee’s mind drifted back to his days as a sailor in Liverpool, England. Then he remembered Stage Landing, the dock where ships came in, that featured a large iron kettle the locals called “Simpson’s Pot.” Travelers would drop coins to help the poor. So the next day, McFee placed a pot at Oakland Ferry Landing near Market Street with a sign that read “Keep the Pot Boiling.” Soon he had enough to feed Christmas dinner to 1,000 of the city’s poorest.

Six years later, in 1897, the kettle idea migrated from west to east, with Boston and San Francisco jointly feeding 15,000 Christmas dinners to the hungry. In 1901, kettle donations in New York City funded a sit-down dinner in mammoth Madison Square Garden. Today, the Salvation Army feeds more than 4.5 million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The annual Red Kettle Campaign is the most significant part of the organization’s funding.

Every year, the Albany Salvation Army Corp quietly feeds and provides safe shelter to our community’s most vulnerable. The Albany Army feeds 19,000 hot meals a year, and during the early COVID months handed out an additional 20,000 boxed meals. The “Lodge” provides approximately 7,000 night beds each year in addition to assistance with utilities and clothing. Albany is blessed with the competent and compassionate leadership of Capts. James and Rebecca Sullivan. And there’s the assurance that what is given in the kettles in Albany stays in Albany.

With all the stresses of COVID, many with little now have even less. The 2020 Red Kettle campaign is suffering the biggest shortfall in decades. Times are hard, but those among us who still have a home and job have an opportunity to give and bring Christmas at this critical time. Let’s all make this year’s Red Kettle Campaign a year of compassion for Albany.