CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The "gold rush" continues for the Salvation Army.
Three more gold coins have been dropped into Salvation Army Red Kettles in the Chicago area.
The Salvation Army said a 1978 Russian 100 Rouble gold Olympic coin in a protective case was donated Friday outside the Jewel-Osco at 2073 Prairie St. in St. Charles. The coin, worth an estimated $1,100-1,200, will benefit programs and services at The Salvation Army Tri-City Corps Community Center in St. Charles.
A 1977 Russian 100 Rouble gold Olympic coin was dropped in a kettle outside the Walmart at 555 E. Townline Road in Vernon Hills on Saturday. The coin, worth an estimated $700-800, will benefit programs and services at The Salvation Army Waukegan Corps Community Center.
And a 1/10 ounce American Gold Eagle $5 coin was donated in a kettle outside the Jewel-Osco at 966 Illinois Rte. 59 in Antioch on Monday, Dec. 14. The coin, worth an estimated $200, will help fund programs and services at The Salvation Army Waukegan Corps.
The most recent donations bring the total number of gold and silver coins donated in Red Kettles in the Metropolitan Division to 30 so far this year. This includes donations in Rockford and Northwest Indiana.
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“It never ceases to amaze me how caring and generous our community is,” said Lt. Scott Smith, corps officer for The Salvation Army Tri-City Corps. “We’ve been given another incredible blessing in this season of uncertainty and need.”
The donations will make an impact in a time of unprecedented need. The Salvation Army launched the Rescue Christmas campaign nearly two months early in 2020 to meet a significant increase in the number of requests for food and emergency financial assistance. Some Salvation Army locations in Chicagoland have seen as much as a fivefold increase in need since the start of the pandemic.
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While the Red Kettles will only be out through Christmas Eve, people can donate to the Rescue Christmas campaign online through Jan. 31 at www.salarmychristmas.org.