Melissa Cunningham, Kettle Campaign Coordinator for The Salvation Army, holds a .999 fine silver on troy ounce coin found in a counter kettle.
The Salvation Army bells have stopped ringing. On Tuesday, a .999 fine silver one troy ounce coin was found inside a counter kettle located at Peerless Cleaners in Warsaw.
“Before I opened the kettle, I caught a glimpse of something odd when I looked down at the slot. I’ve found a lot of unusual things dropped in the kettle but this was the first time I’ve found anything like this. I was thrilled to find to find something of this nature and it made my day!” said, Melissa Cunningham, administrative assistant and Kettle Campaign Coordinator for The Salvation Army.
To date The Salvation Army has raised $75,340.95 in kettles and counter kettles alone.
“If anyone reading this has participated in our campaign this year in one way or another, we want to say thank you; it is amazing how much can be accomplished by coming together as a community. Every volunteer hour, every donation mailed, every kind word from our clients, every ringing shift covered, every coin, bill dropped in the kettles has made a difference” added Lt. Esteban Pommier, Commanding Officer.
Although donations are up compared to last year, the organization is still having to make budget cuts due to overall Christmas income being down. “Our Red Kettle campaign is just one part of the picture; we have checks and cash coming in as a result of appeal letters being sent out to the community and fundraising events such as Salvation Army Rotary Day.
“Every dollar donated will help us continue providing assistance and much needed hope to our neighbors in need, right here in Kosciusko County,” concluded Pommier. The money raised during the months of November and December make up close to one half of the organization’s annual budget.
To assist The Salvation Army’s last minute fund raising efforts, donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 1257 Warsaw, IN 46581.