"Secret Santa" Drops Gold Ring, $50 Bill In Salvation Army Kettle
PINECREST (CBSMiami) - A generous giver gave a Salvation Army bell ringer quite a shock outside a Pinecrest Kmart store.
The person, who wishes to remain anonymous, dropped a gold ring wrapped in a $50 bill with a note saying "They need more than I. Do good! A friend."
"Warms our heart because someone cared that much," said Captain Linda Payton of The Salvation Army.
Volunteers were alerted to the donation after a call came into the Salvation Army that "something special"had been dropped in the kettle. After searching through the kettle, they found the ring and money.
Early appraisals show the ring is worth about $2,000.
It was collected at a K-Mart in Pinecrest by members of the Community Habilitation Center, a group for adults with developmental disabilities.
"We were hoping to beat some of the clubs that go in there, and collect money. So we were hoping to collect a good amount today, but nothing like that was expected," said Barbara Wach of CHC Miami.
Last holiday season, a gold nugget worth about $3,000 was given to a bell ringer outside a Coral Gables Publix supermarket. The note with the nugget was also signed, "A friend."
Salvation Army officials do not know if the anonymous donations are connected.
