CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign efforts to help the needy got a big boost in recent days when donors dropped six gold coins valued at nearly $3,000.
Bell ringers made the welcome discoveries beginning Thursday, when a 1919 Swiss coin worth $350 was dropped in a kettle stationed outside a Jewel-Osco on Chicago's North Side.
Then, on Saturday, five coins were found deposited in a kettle outside the Walmart in Round Lake on Saturday. They were a 1-ounce American Gold Eagle worth $1,800 and four gold Mercury coins worth $775 in total.
Gold coin dropped in a Salvation Army Red Kettle.Salvation Army
"We're so grateful to our donor," said Captain Daniel Paredes, corps officer for The Salvation Army of Lake County, said in a news release. "This person has a huge heart. They are able to help so many families with just a few coins."
The Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign dates back to 1891 in San Francisco. Gold and silver coins donated to The Salvation Army Red Kettles have become a much-anticipated holiday tradition of giving throughout Chicagoland.
