CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – The Salvation Army of Horry County is looking to hire 75 to 100 seasonal workers to help with their Red Kettle campaign this year, according to a press release.
The hiring event will be held from October 7 – 11 at 1415 2nd Ave. in Conway from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
During November and December, men, women and young adults will ring bells at over 40 Red Kettle locations throughout Horry County. Generous individuals may place monetary donations in the kettles to support year-round programs provided by The Salvation Army’s area community centers.
History of the Red Kettle Campaign
In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was troubled because so many poor individuals in San Francisco were going hungry. During the holiday season, he resolved to provide a free Christmas dinner for the destitute and poverty-stricken. He only had one major difficulty to overcome — funding the project.
As he contemplated the issue, he recollected his sailor days in Liverpool, England. He remembered how at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” into which passers-by tossed a coin or two to help the poor.
The next day Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing at the foot of Market Street. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He soon had the money to see that the needy people were properly fed at Christmas.
The kettle idea quickly spread from the west coast to the Boston area. In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner in Madison Square Garden, a custom that continued for many years. Today in the U.S., The Salvation Army assists more than four-and-a-half million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time periods.
Captain McFee’s kettle idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States but all across the world. Kettles are now used in such distant lands as Korea, Japan, Chile, and many European countries. Everywhere, public contributions to Salvation Army kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round efforts at helping those most in need.
