Christmas Kettles

The Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign is a fundraising effort that occurs each year during the Christmas season. Kettles are found in 2,000 locations across Canada and are an opportunity for the public to donate whatever funds they can to support the work of The Salvation Army during the Christmas season and throughout the year.

For too many Canadians, the necessities of life needed for basic human dignity are out of reach. Poverty is the root cause that puts dignity out of reach for millions of Canadians, making access to everyday needs, like food, clothing and shelter, difficult.

Funds raised through donations made at Christmas kettles, together with other sources of funds, help provide direct, compassionate, hands-on service to over 1.9 million people each year in Canada, restoring hope and dignity to those who might otherwise remain invisible in society.

While Salvation Army Christmas kettles can be found all across Canada, and around the world, each Christmas kettle location is organized and managed by a local Salvation Army unit. The funds raised stay in the community in which they were donated and are used to support local Salvation Army programs for people in need.

In 1891, Captain Joseph McFee wanted to help the help the vulnerable in San Francisco, especially during the Christmas season, but he didn’t know where to get funding to do so. He remembered, during his earlier days in Liverpool, England, seeing a large kettle where passengers of boats that docked nearby were able to toss coins to help the poor. Captain McFee placed a similar pot at the Oakland Ferry Landing, and encouraged the public to “Keep the Pot Boiling.” He collected enough to host a Christmas dinner for the poor.

The first time a kettle was used in Canada was in Toronto in 1903.

A Kettle Host is someone who stands beside the iconic Salvation Army Christmas Kettle and receives donations from passers-by. They ring bells, where permitted, to subtly remind people to donate toward supporting those in need in our community. Kettles are typically located in malls and outside retail stores. This year our campaign runs from Nov. 22 to Dec. 24, 2025.

Kettle Hosts typically stand by a kettle for 3 hours at both indoor and outdoor locations. Ideally, it is best if volunteers commit to volunteering regularly throughout the course of the Christmas Kettle Campaign which runs from Nov. 22 to Dec. 24, 2025.