Early this December, somebody dropped a gold Krugerrand into a Salvation Army kettle in Naperville, IL. Worth about $1200, the 1-ounce South African coin was equal to what the average volunteer attendant can expect to raise in 40 hours of bell ringing.
And this isn’t the first time this kind of coin drop has happened at this location.
The kettle in front of the Casey’s Food grocery store has received an anonymous gold coin donation during the holidays for at least 20 years.1
But the person (or people) dropping these coins have been careful to protect their identity. Salvation Army kettles are always attended. And according to Dan Casey, owner of Casey’s Food, his employees have been constantly on the lookout to see if they can spot the anonymous donor.
This kind of stealth giving is not unusual in the Chicago area.
The Chicago Tribune reports that this holiday season eight gold coins, including a 1-ounce Gold Eagle and a 1932 Indian Head, have appeared in area kettles.
It’s been happening in Oklahoma as well.
The Tulsa World reports that in early December a Gold Eagle was dropped in a Tulsa red kettle, continuing a 15 year local tradition of gold coins being anonymously donated.2And a quick Google search of “Salvation Army Krugerrand” provides many more instances.
The Salvation Army says that red kettle donations are used to give rent and utilities assistance to families in need, often providing the temporary help that keeps them from falling into homelessness. Their Captain for the Naperville area says that the single Krugerrand received at Casey’s Food could provide assistance for four families.
The Rewards Of Secret Giving
Why is generous giving in anonymity so pervasive? It may be that the donors simply aren’t comfortable with the idea of being acknowledged, or maybe they’re religiously motivated to keep their donations secret. Or maybe they just don’t want to be hit up for further donations.
Regardless, it’s possible they’ve discovered that the most fun you can with a gold coin, after you’ve admired in in your safe deposit box for a while, is to secretly give it away where it can potentially do tremendous good.
If you recall in Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” after Ebenezer Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning to find out he’s still alive, he anonymously sends a huge turkey over to Bob Cratchit’s house. As he’s giving the delivery instructions, the formerly dour Scrooge can’t keep a straight face.
Dickens writes, “The chuckle with which he paid for the Turkey, and the chuckle with which he paid for the cab, and the chuckle with which he recompensed the (delivery) boy, were only to be exceeded by the chuckle with which he sat down breathless in his chair again, and chuckled till he cried.”3
Scrooge discovered that the secret to the happiest holidays is knowing how to give.
If you have the means and are able to give generously to help those in need, you will experience the true joy of the season. And if you have a few gold coins rattling around, wouldn’t it be fun to start your local Salvation Army guessing?
Citations:
1-https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-naperville-gold-coin-kettle-st-1212-story.html
2-https://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/anonymous-donor-gives-gold-coin-to-salvation-army/article_fc3da541-71fc-57bd-ab29-141ce1b4fe70.html
3-http://www.stormfax.com/5dickens.htm