Rebecca ClarkSHELBY — although the Christmas holidays are just a memory for most people, and the bell ringers stationed around county grocery stores are gone, the Salvation Army’s work extends well beyond the holidays.
“We’re open all year long,” said Maj. David Craddock of the Salvation Army in Cleveland County. “not just at Christmas. A lot of people think of us only at Christmas.”
During the holiday season, Craddock said there were several generous donations which will help the agency provide various services to the community.
Two of those donations came in the form of Krugerrand gold coins from South Africa.Craddock said two Krugerrands were dropped in Salvation Army kettles in Shelby; one at the Harris Teeter supermarket on Christmas Eve, and the other one at Kmart around the same time.
“we had a lady named Amy Hartley who was trying to raise $1,000 at Harris Teeter that day, and the Krugerrand was in the kettle that night,” he said.
He said Hartley collected about $1,240 in cash and checks, plus an additional $1,700 from the gold coin.
Craddock said the coins will be auctioned off at a later date.
Each 22-karat Krugerrand coin contains one troy ounce of gold. The precious metal was trading in U.S. commodities markets for about $1,654 an ounce Thursday.
The money collected from Salvation Army kettles allows the organization to give away clothes or a bag of food to a family in need. It might pay a heating bill or help with rent or other utilities.
Craddock said the gold coins, plus other donations from the community, are “very beneficial.”
The local Salvation Army serves both Cleveland and Rutherford counties, Craddock said. said.
Anonymous donors drop gold coins into Salvation Army kettles
