Mat-Su Valley Corps Finds Unexpected Gift in Red Kettle
Friday evening, December 7, 2018, Janet Kincaid, The Salvation Army Mat-Su Corps Advisory Board Chair, and her daughter were helping The Salvation Army Mat-Su Valley Corps count the end of day red kettle donations when a small gold coin was found in a kettle wrapped in a note. The coin turned out to be a one-ounce 1978 gold South African Krugerrand wrapped in a note contributing the donation to the memory of a loved one.
The Krugerrand has an estimated value of $1,245 according to today’s gold prices. “The Krugerrand is a great boost to our kettle campaign,” stated Major John Brackenbury, The Salvation Army Alaska Divisional Commander. “Despite this one donation, we are still in need of the public’s support for our ongoing services in light of the recent earthquake.”
The Krugerrand has been a well-known phenomenon for several years in The Salvation Army, received in just a few red kettles across the United States annually, it is anticipated by local chapters each holiday season on who will be receiving and where a Krugerrand will appear next. Often, they seem to appear anonymously in kettles near well-populated urban areas like Chicago, but sometimes find themselves dropped in a red kettle in rural, less populated areas like Wasilla, Alaska.
“Mat-Su Salvation Army is ecstatic to be the recipient of this wonderful donation,” said Kincaid. The Krugerrand was found in a red kettle located at the Three Bears Alaska’s Wasilla outpost, a first-year red kettle donation post participant.
The monetary value of the Mat-Su Valley Krugerrand donation will help support programs and services provided by The Salvation Army Mat-Su Valley Corps. In the Mat-Su Valley, the funds raised from The Salvation Army red kettles goes towards rental assistance, emergency housing, clothing vouchers, utility assistance, non-narcotic RX assistance, transportation and a local food pantry that serves those in need in the Mat-Su Valley Borough.
For those that don’t happen to have a Krugerrand on-hand but are still looking to donate to support The Salvation Army’s programs and services in Alaska, please visit alaska.salvationarmy.org or call (907) 276-2515.