Sgt. Les Ashby, corps administrator for The Salvation Army in Cleveland and Rutherford counties, celebrates with volunteer bell ringer Mike Ledford over the donation of a valuable gold coin placed in the kettle at Shelby Walmart on Black Friday.

Anonymous donor requested Salvation Army to the gift to help people and to encourage others to give On December 3, 2019, Shelby, NC, a gold coin was dropped into a Salvation Army Red Kettle in Shelby, NC on Black Friday. An anonymous phone call tipped The Salvation Army that a "special gift" had been donated at a kettle. The gift was an Austrian 100 Corona gold piece from 1915. A note accompanied the gold coin which read, "Thank you for sharing the true joy, love, and peace of Christmas with others throughout each year. It is my hope that this gift will encourage you, those you serve, and others who give generously." "I got a call on Friday morning saying a special gift had been dropped into a Red Kettle at Walmart," said Sergeant Les Ashby, corps offi cer for The Salvation Army of Shelby. "The caller instructed me to use the gift to help people and encourage others to give. We were thrilled when we opened the kettle and found a gold coin!" The 2019 Red Kettle campaign goal for The Salvation Army of Shelby, serving Cleveland and Rutherford counties, is $110,000. Money raised through the Red Kettle campaign provides Christmas to local families in need and to safeguard the well-being of the community through year-round programming and social services. "This donation will really help people in this community," Ashby added. "I would like to thank the donor for the gift and your beautiful message. Your gift has certainly encouraged us and be assured we will use it to encourage and support others." Volunteers from New Bethel Church were manning the Red Kettles on Friday morning. Volunteer Mike Ledford remembers helping a person push something thick into the kettle. "A person came to the kettle holding a thick object wrapped in a dollar bill. I helped push it into the kettle - it almost didn't fi t. I know it was the gold coin!" Mike recalled. "I feel so good I was volunteering at that time. This money will go a long way in helping people." The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign is the largest and oldest charitable fundraiser of its kind in the United States, originating in 1891 in San Francisco. All money raised in the Red Kettles stays in the local community. The Red Kettle campaign ends December 24. Donate at Give.SalvationArmyCarolinas. org or volunteer to ring the bells at a kettle at RegistertoRing.com