11 Things You Didn't Know About The
Salvation Army
• The Salvation Army was founded in
London, England in 1865 by former Methodist minister William Booth. Booth
abandoned the conventional concept of a church and a pulpit, instead taking his
message of spiritual salvation directly to the people – in particular the
homeless, the hungry, and the destitute of Victorian-era London.
• National Salvation Army Week was
first declared by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. In the proclamation,
Eisenhower noted: "Among Americans, The Salvation Army has long been a
symbol of wholehearted dedication to the cause of human brotherhood . . . Their
work has been a constant reminder to us all that each of us is neighbor and kin
to all Americans. giving freely of themselves, the men and women of The
Salvation Army have won the respect of us all."
• The annual Red Kettle Christmas
fundraising campaign started in 1891 when a Salvation Army captain in San
Francisco set up a crab pot at Oakland Ferry Landing to collect money for the
poor at Christmas. The campaign has since become one of the longest-running and
most recognizable fundraising efforts in the world. Kettles are now used in
such distant lands as Korea, Japan, Chile and throughout Europe.
• The Salvation Army's first major
disaster response effort in the United States followed the devastating
hurricane that impacted Galveston, TX in 1900, literally destroying the coastal
city and killing more than 5,000 people. Following the storm, Army officers
from across the country moved into the Galveston area to help clean, feed and
shelter the thousands of survivors, while also providing much needed spiritual
and emotional support. The Army's emergency response capabilities were once
again tested six years later following the Great Earthquake in San Francisco in
1906.
• The Salvation Army is often
credited with popularizing the doughnut in the United States. After serving
doughnuts – cooked in battle helmets – to U.S. troops in the field during World
War I, many soldiers came back to the States hooked on the pastries. Doughnut
consumption subsequently took off in the U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s.
• The Salvation Army led in the
formation of the United Services Organization (USO) during World War II which
serves members of the armed forces abroad to this day.
• "Strawberry Fields
Forever" in the Beatles 1966 song by that name, is John Lennon's nostalgic
reference to a Salvation Army orphanage called Strawberry Field in Woolton,
England. Lennon is said to have played
with childhood friends in the trees behind the orphanage when he was a boy. The
facility closed in 2005.
• The Salvation Army has been
featured or mentioned in literally hundreds of Hollywood movies over the years
– from classics like The 39 Steps and On the Waterfront to
contemporary hits like Seabiscuit and Titanic.
• Since 1997, The Salvation Army has
launched the annual Red Kettle Christmas fundraising campaign with a special
halftime show performance at the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game. Previous
performers have included Kelly Clarkson, Toby Keith and Jessica Simpson. During
this time period, The Salvation Army has raised over $1 billion from the red
kettles to support service efforts in communities nationwide.
• In 2005, consulting firm Booz Allen
Hamilton selected The Salvation Army, along with the Rolling Stones, Oxford
University, the Olympic Games and others, as among the world's top-ten enduring
institutions.
• In 2009, consulting firm Cone
ranked the leading 100 nonprofit brands and ranked The Salvation Army in second
place behind the Y.M.C.A. The report also noted that The Salvation Army was the
most familiar nonprofit among all Americans.