Question: where was the salvation army's christmas collection kettle first introduced?
Answer: San Francisco, in San Francisco

A tradition on the '' kettle '' started in 1891 , in San Francisco , by Salvation Army officer Captain Joseph McFee . Captain McFee , resolving to provide a free Christmas dinner to the poor of San Francisco , remembered a sight he saw in Liverpool , England . From his days as a sailor McFee remembered a large pot displayed on the Stage Landing , called '' Simpson 's Pot . '' The pot took in donations put in by passersby . Taking this idea , McFee asked for permission from San Francisco city authorities to place a crab pot and tripod at the Oakland ferry landing . The kettle - and McFee 's call of '' Keep the Pot Boiling ! '' - drew in passengers and donations .