Medina Salvation Army kicks off red kettle drive

One sight during the holiday season that has become as familiar as the light displays that decorate many houses is the presence of Salvation Army personnel with their red kettles outside various local businesses. This holiday tradition serves as the organization’s primary source of funding for the year and goes directly to the services it provides to those in need in Medina County.

Capt. Tracy Knappins of the Medina Salvation Army said the kettle drive is a nationwide fundraising effort that Salvation Army branches have held for more than a century.

“The first red kettle appeared in San Francisco in 1891 in a campaign to raise money to provide a Christmas meal,” she said. “By 1895, the kettle was being used by 30 locations, and by 1897, it had become a national campaign.”

The idea of the kettle drive was patterned by Capt. Joseph McFee after his experiences as a sailor in Liverpool, England, where he created an iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” to collect donations from passersby. The first kettle used by the Salvation Army was at the Oakland Ferry Landing, where it could be seen by people boarding and leaving ferryboats.

Locally, kettles can be found outside various businesses, including Buehler’s at 275 Forest Meadows Drive, Walmart at 4141 Pearl Road, Giant Eagle at 870 N. Court St., Acme Fresh Market at 1225 S. Court St., and Hobby Lobby at 3800 Stonegate Drive, Suite A.

Money raised from the kettle drive goes toward all of the services the Medina Salvation Army provides. Project Munch serves more than 1,000 meals every month to those in need. The food pantry serves more than 85 families every week with fresh pantry items for home use. The Learning Zone provides affordable after-school tutoring and mentoring for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The social services department provides emergency assistance with utilities, rent, gasoline and other needs.

Pathway of Hope serves as a long-term case management program for families with children. The Salvation Army’s music and arts school provides music education for children in brass, vocal music and theater.

Additionally, the Medina Salvation Army provides day camp and overnight camp opportunities for children, seasonal programs throughout the year, and Sunday worship and Bible study.

Throughout the year, Knappins said, members of the Medina community have made generous donations to the Salvation Army. Thanks to those contributions, the organization will serve 797 children with new clothing, toys and gifts for Christmas.

“This year, we had Angel Trees at Arby’s, Medina Rec Center, National Design Mart, Tilted Farmer, Walmart and Yours Truly,” she said. “Additionally, hundreds of children were adopted by businesses, community groups, churches, clubs and individuals. This program could not happen without these partnerships in our community.”

Even so, the red kettle campaign remains the Salvation Army’s largest annual fundraiser, providing holiday support to families as well as year-round support for the organization.

“Above that, the red kettle spurs a sense of community,” Knappins said. “We have hundreds of people who volunteer to ring the bell each year, local retailers that allow us to stand at their locations and, of course, the thousands of donors who drop in spare change and much more.”