The Salvation Army got a huge surprise Thursday when someone dropped an extremely valuable item into one of the charity’s Red Kettles located in a Chicago neighborhood.
A generous donor put a gold coin worth $1,200 into the kettle, and the gift will help local community members in need over the Christmas season, Fox 32 reported Friday.
The outlet identified the item as a South African ½ Krugerrand, noting it was left in the kettle outside the Jewel-Osco on Milwaukee Avenue.
An image shows the coin sitting on top of what appears to be the red kettle:
The Salvation Army announced one of their bell ringers in Lake County received the organization's first gold coin of the season worth $1,200 Thursday evening. https://t.co/jlQhTAlZXm
— Lake & McHenry County Scanner (@LMCScanner) November 18, 2023
It is the charity’s first such donation of the season.
“There’s an increasing need for assistance as more migrant families come into our area looking for rent assistance and clothing vouchers. That’s where this gift will help,” explained Major Dan Faundez, who serves as Corps Officer for the Salvation Army Waukegan Corps.
“This will also be key for supplies in our pantry. We’ve had to reduce the amount we’ve been able to hand out; we’re hoping this will help us continue to provide those services,” Faundez added.
In December 2020, Salvation Army officials in Las Vegas found a gold coin in one of the charity’s kettles that was identified as a Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coin, Breitbart News reported.
Although its value was not clear at the time, it was expected to be worth about $2,000.
The same month and year, an anonymous donor left a sparkling surprise in one of the charity’s kettles in Tennessee.
The Salvation Army said it was a 1.81-carat antique diamond ring. It was found in the Germantown area. Inside the bag carrying the ring was a note that read, “Help the poor.”
The ring was later valued at over $6,000.
✨DIAMOND DONATION✨On December 10th, an anonymous donor dropped this antique 1.81 carat diamond ring into one of our…
Posted by The Salvation Army Memphis on Monday, December 21, 2020
“Even though the world may never know the original owner’s story or what motivated the person who put it in the kettle, the charity explained, ‘year after year, we continue to be amazed by the unwavering love and support from our neighbors,'” the report said.
