For the second December in a row, an anonymous donor has slipped a gold South African Krugerrand into a Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama red kettle outside the Walmart in Daphne, delighting bell ringers and charity organizers alike just ahead of the holidays.
Volunteers discovered the coin, taped to a handwritten note, when they emptied the kettle on a recent morning. The note echoed a challenge issued with last year’s donation, urging other South Alabama residents to dig into their pockets and “make the bells ring” for families in need this Christmas season.
“We are thrilled,” said Maj. Mark Brown, the Salvation Army’s area commander for coastal Alabama, noting that an identical gift turned up in the same kettle the previous December. Both coins were minted in 1982 and, based on last year’s appraisal, are worth roughly $1,300 apiece once weighed and sold.
Salvation Army officials said the timing could not have been better. Because Thanksgiving fell later in the calendar this year, the traditional bell-ringing season between the holiday and Christmas Day was compressed, leaving fewer days for volunteers to collect from kettles across Mobile and Baldwin counties. A gift of this size, organizers said, provides a meaningful boost heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
The same kettle also held a $1,000 check from another donor, making for what staff described as an especially generous morning at the Daphne Walmart location.
Local Salvation Army leaders say proceeds from the red kettle campaign fund a range of year-round programs across the region, including emergency shelter, utility assistance and holiday meal programs for families in Mobile and Baldwin counties. The organization relies heavily on the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas to raise the bulk of its annual operating budget, making unexpected windfalls like the gold coin especially valuable.
Whoever left the coin has not come forward publicly, continuing what has quietly become a small holiday tradition at the Daphne kettle. Salvation Army representatives said they hope the gesture inspires other coastal Alabama residents to give what they can before the kettles come down for the season.
Donations can typically be dropped at red kettle locations throughout Mobile and Baldwin counties through Christmas Eve, with proceeds staying local to support South Alabama families.