Mystery donor plops gold coins in red kettles
Each means $1,300 for Salvation Army
It’s time to call this a tradition.
For the fourth consecutive year, the so-called “Coin Crusader” has dropped gold 1947 Mexican 50-peso coins into a Salvation Army Red Kettle outside a store in Pompano Beach. The donations were made at the Walmart Neighborhood Market, 1199 S. Federal Highway.
Two of the gold coins were discovered Wednesday and another one was found Nov. 27, The Salvation Army of Broward County said.
In both cases, as in earlier years, the coins were wrapped inside a dollar bill.
At the current price of gold, each coin is worth a little more than $1,300.
After the Christmas season, a donor typically purchases the coins from the Salvation Army, said Alyse Gossman, the organization’s director of
development.
“This mystery donor has certainly lifted our holiday spirits once again,” said Maj. Keath Biggers, area commander for The Salvation Army of Broward County.
“These unique gifts help us highlight the incredible support needed for the programs that take place during the holidays and all year-round,” Biggers said.
Last year, the anonymous donor left two gold coins in the Salvation Army kettle outside the Walmart at 2300 W. Atlantic Blvd. in Pompano Beach.
In 2015, five coins were dropped off at two Red Kettle locations in Pompano Beach.
The string of mystery donations began in 2014 when two coins were dropped off one week apart at two kettle locations in Pompano Beach.
The Salvation Army has been content to let the donor’s identity remain secret.
In Broward, the Christmas kettle campaign runs through Dec. 23 at 45 locations across the county using individual volunteers and volunteers from civic groups. Annually, funds from Red Kettles provide meals, shelter, clothing and social services to more than 25,000 in-need people and families throughout Greater Broward, the organization said.
The Red Kettle drive dates to 1891 when Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee worried about people going hungry in San Francisco. He decided to emulate what he saw as a sailor in Liverpool, England, when one of the ports featured a large iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” into which people could toss coins to help the poor.