Salvation Army goes for world's tallest kettle record

Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News

Detroit -- The Salvation Army has assembled a giant kettle at Campus Martius Park this morning that will earn it a Guinness Book of World Records entry for the world's tallest kettle.

The kettle, actually made of lights, is about 56 feet tall and 24 feet wide and will be part of the Salvation Army's 118th Red Kettle Kick Off that begins Nov. 20 with a ceremony in which 25,000 red lights make up the kettle.

Guinness has told the Salvation Army that the kettle is large enough to set a record, officials with the nonprofit said this morning.

Smaller kettles will be set up at hundreds of sites, such as grocery stores or malls, across Metro Detroit beginning on Friday.

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.

"We wanted to do something out of the ordinary," said Jason Hale, part of the nonprofit's development department. "There is tremendous need in Detroit. We want people to know there is help out there."

Donations can be made at sites where small red kettles are on display, by telephone at (877) SAL-MICH or online at www.salmich.org.

Online fundraising is a thrust of this year's campaign, Hale said. The Salvation Army's Web site is set up so other organizations can host their own fundraising campaigns for the charity through it. In addition, the Salvation Army is active on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

"We want to keep it fresh and keep it new," Hale said of fundraising techniques. "We definitely want to keep it relevant."

Officials said that 83 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to services.

sesparza@detnews.com (313) 222-2320