Listen to this article
Kettle to set Guinness World Record
The Salvation Army in Detroit, Mich., assembled a giant kettle at Campus Martius Park that will earn it a Guinness Book of World Records entry for the world’s tallest kettle.
“Detroit has experienced economic depression for the past six years with the unemployment reaching a staggering 29 percent in 2009,” said Jason Hale, gift planning specialist in the Eastern Michigan Division of The Salvation Army, and the individual who oversaw the “World’s Tallest Kettle” creation. “With such devastating need in this community, we want the region to know that there are still people and an organization fighting on behalf of those in need.”
The kettle, actually made of 25,000 red lights, is about 56 feet tall and 24 feet wide and will be part of the Army’s 118th Red Kettle Kick Off on Nov. 20.
“In the midst of the bad news and the tough times, the lost jobs, lost homes and shattered dreams…there is still a reason to have hope,” Hale said. “The Salvation Army kettle is an icon of hope. It’s not just an easy way to give a quick donation of loose change; the kettle is a reminder to those in need that someone is there for them, standing in the cold for them, ready to share a smile and help meet their need.”
Smaller kettles are set up at hundreds of sites, such as grocery stores or malls, across Metro Detroit.
Officials want to raise $7.8 million during the campaign that runs until the end of January. The money is used for offerings such as meals for the needy and shelter for the homeless.
From The Detroit News and Jason Hale
Download this page as a PDF