“I believe it’s pretty low, pretty pathetic, to prey on a charity at this time of the year that’s raising money to help those in need,” Capt. Mark Boerboom of the Blaine Police Department said. “It was a brazen theft in the middle of the day.”

AD

Police are still searching for the thieves, known as “the Two Grinches.” Authorities have released photos from the surveillance camera to aid in the investigation. It is not known how much money was in the kettle. Boerboom said that, if caught, the thieves will be charged with a felony, damage to property and possession of theft tools.

AD

“The kettle is an iconic symbol around Christmastime,” Salvation Army regional General Secretary Robert Doliber said. “The money helps with services year round. We want the public to know we’re anxious to catch the offenders. With as many kettles as we have out, this is pretty rare.“

Doliber lives in Blaine and said the community is very generous. Last year, the Twin Cities area raised about $2.4 million. This year, it has set a goal of $2.5 million in donations using 370 kettles.

AD

Video of the theft, posted to the Blaine Police Department Facebook page, has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Many commenters online want the thieves to stand at the red kettle post and ring the bell to collect money as part of their sentence.

“You don’t mess with the red kettles. It’s really struck people,” Boerboom said.

AD

According to the Salvation Army, the red kettles were created by the Salvation Army’s Joseph McFee in 1891 in San Francisco. He wanted to provide a Christmas dinner for the hungry but did not have the funding. He was inspired by an iron kettle, called “Simpson’s Pot,” which was used to collect money during his time as a sailor in Liverpool, England. In 1891, he raised enough money to feed 1,000 of San Francisco’s poor on Christmas.