This holiday season make a lasting impact! The Red Kettle Campaign needs your help to spread joy and hope in our community. Here's how you can help.

SALVATION ARMY RED KETTLE CAMPAIGN

By volunteering, you'll directly support essential meals and shelter for those facing hardship. Together, we can foster a more compassionate community—one simple act of kindness at a time. Ready to make a difference? Sign up at RegistertoRing.com and become part of this meaningful tradition!

Donations in the Red Kettle stay local – directly impacting the lives of your neighbors by helping them in their time of need. When you ring the bell, you’re making change happen.

RING AS A GROUP

Volunteering as a group can be rewarding. Ringing together can create a fun atmosphere and strengthen your bond while helping out.

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VOLUNTEER TO RING ALONE

Start a new holiday tradition this season! Get out of the house and help those in need.

BE A VIRTUAL RINGER

Being a virtual ringer allows you to reach even more people and raise awareness for the campaign. Sharing your connection to the cause can inspire others to donate.

It not only helps raise funds for those in need but also spreads holiday cheer. Sign up today!

HISTORY OF THE RED KETTLE

In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was distraught 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 hurdle to overcome -- funding the project.

Where would the money come from, he wondered. He lay awake at night, worrying, thinking, and praying about how he could find the funds to fulfill his commitment to feeding 1,000 of the city's poorest individuals on Christmas Day. As he pondered the issue, his thoughts drifted back to 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.

LOOK: 25 over-the-top Christmas displays from across America

To help get everyone in the mood for the upcoming holiday season, Stacker compiled a list of some of the most over-the-top Christmas displays across America.

Gallery Credit: Annalise Mantz & Madison Troyer

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