The Salvation Army  Empire State Division

14 May 2015

Today, we share some facts and trivia about The Salvation Army.

Did you know that…

• The Annual Red Kettle Christmas Campaign began 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, Salvation 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 – often 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. In 1938, The Salvation Army also created National Doughnut Day, observed the first Friday of June, to honor the female Salvation Army officers -- or “doughnut lassies” -- who served the troops during the War.
   
• 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. 
   
• In the 1966 Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever," John Lennon refers 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.