Mystery Donations Keep the Salvation Army Guessing
By Teresa Ambord
Every year, the Salvation Army collects in the neighborhood of $3.5 million to help the poor and disadvantaged. But few monetary gifts they receive cause as much commotion as the mystery donations that have been deposited in the red kettles in various cities, every Christmas since 1982.
The first time it happened was at a kettle belonging to the Salvation Army near a Chicago suburb of Crystal Lake. A spokesman for the charity says that the mystery has never been solved, though one summer a woman called the Salvation Army to say that her mother was the one making the drops, because, the woman explained, her mother liked to see the commotion her actions caused.
The Salvation Army says that finding the mystery donations is always fun. Some have suggested that the special donations may be an inside job, because they always seem to come when general donations are lagging. But the president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, a Chicago-based charity watchdog says he doubts that the Salvation Army makes the donations itself in order to stir up attention. It's a deeply religious group that probably would not resort to such publicity stunts.
Since that first year, the trend has spread across Illinois, and to about a dozen other states. More than two decades later, the surprise gifts amount to around $60,000. Compared to the total of $3.5 million collected each year, the special gifts are a small part. But they mean that many more families will have Christmas dinner.
What usually happens is, a rare coin is tucked inside a one-dollar bill and deposited in a kettle along with all the other donations. Sometimes the surprise is a few small gold coins, sometimes it is a gold kruggerand that can fetch as much as $500. Once the drop has been accomplished an anonymous call usually comes into the nearby Salvation Army to alert charity officials to expect a surprise. One gift was a 1996 American Eagle gold coin, complete with a note from the benefactor, worth $300-$400. In Kirksville, Missouri in 2004, a gold coin was given, that had been minted 20 years before the Civil War. That coin alone was worth nearly one thousand dollars. In Morgantown, West Virginia, every year for 25 years, an anonymous donor gives at least one thousand dollars. In 2003, he or she gave a $1,000 and a $500 bill, wrapped in a one-dollar bill.
Whoever the donor is and wherever the money comes from, the Salvation Army and those who are fed by the generous donations are thankful that someone has a heart big enough to share. And in the process, they spread a little Christmas fun around too.
