Salvation Army sets giant kettle record

DETROIT, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The Salvation Army announced it has assembled the world's largest kettle, 56 feet tall and 24 feet wide, as part of a celebration in Detroit.

The charity said the kettle, which is made from 25,000 lights and stands at Campus Martius Park, has been certified as the largest on Earth by Guinness World Records, The Detroit News reported Tuesday.

Officials with the Salvation Army said the kettle will serve as the centerpiece of 118th Red Kettle Kick Off, which begins Nov, 20 and involves hundreds of smaller kettles set up for donations at hundreds of Metro Detroit locations.

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