Charities benefiting from anonymous donors
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Courtesy of Associated Press |
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -Salvation Army bell-ringer Allen Tucker couldn't say "Merry Christmas" enough as a man walked up and began dropping silver coin after silver coin into the distinctive red kettle.
By the time the stranger had finished plunking 120 vintage U.S. silver dollars into his bucket, it was all Tucker could say.
"I just kept saying 'Merry Christmas,"' Tucker said Friday. "He just kept pulling them out of the box and putting them in the kettle. It took about three to four minutes."
It seems there are more than a few people in the giving spirit this holiday season.
Last weekend, someone stuffed five $100 bills in a Kiwanis collection jar during Springfield's Christmas parade. And last month, The Springfield Salvation Army got 100 other silver dollars and three gold coins.
"This speaks to the generosity of the community," said Capt. David Luft, commanding officer of The Salvation Army Corps Community Center. "If people are convinced there is a need and they have confidence in the organization, they are generous."
A coin expert said vintage silver dollars can be worth anywhere from $6 to $20 - meaning the 220 silver dollars donated to The Salvation Army this year could be worth anywhere from $1,320 to $4,400.
But Luft said the majority of donations are not made of silver, gold or big bills.
"The donors who put in a dollar or a quarter are just as important," he said.
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