How Red Buckets Became A Symbol Of Giving

As he tried to come up with a plan to raise money for the 1,000 people he had planned to feed, McFee recalled his time as a sailor in Liverpool, England. He remembered how at Stage Landing, where the boats came in, there was a large, iron kettle called "Simpson's Pot,” where passers-by tossed in coins to help the poor. 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.” Six years later, the kettle idea spread across the country to Boston. That year, the nationwide effort resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners. In 1901, kettle contributions in New York City provided funds for the first mammoth sit-down dinner held at Madison Square Garden.