Just a little more than a week after a generous couple donated $500,000 dollars to the Salvation Army in Minnesota, someone in Billerica, Mass., was also hit with the generosity bug, placing diamond rings worth $3,500 into the iconic red kettle outside Market Basket on Boston Road last week.
Salvation Army Capt. David Childs had been sifting through the donations people left in the kettle when he spotted the rings, stopping him dead in his tracks, according to the Boston Herald.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," said Childs. "Someone had dropped in a wedding band and a diamond engagement ring."
The rings, appraised at $3,500 in total, were described as an "incredible gift" that could help the Salvation Army pay for food pantries, soup kitchens and other holiday support for the needy in the region, according to the Associated Press.
"We don't know the backstory of the rings, but it was given in such a way that it wasn't an accident," added Childs. "It means so much that someone would give something so personal to bring hope to others."
This isn't the first time jewelry has found its way into Salvation Army kettles in the Boston area, reported Boston.com. Last holiday season, the organization raised more than $30,000 when several pieces of jewelry, such as pendants and rings (including a widow's engagement ring and her late husband's wedding ring), were donated.
"Massachusetts has developed a special relationship with red kettles, and these incredibly heartwarming gifts continue to overwhelm and inspire our staff, bell-ringers and volunteers," said Major David B. Davis, Divisional Commander of the Massachusetts Salvation Army.
