Anonymous Donor Gifts Engagement and Weddings Rings to Salvation Army: 'Given in Love for a Second Time'
The rings were found with a note when a Salvation Army official was going over collections in Massachusetts on Thursday
Courtesy The Salvation Army
Two rings were recently dropped anonymously into a Salvation Army red kettle in Waltham, MassachusettsA Salvation Army officer in Massachusetts recently found a surprise donation: two rings valued at an estimated $1,500!
As donations were counted from various locations Thursday evening, an engagement ring and a wedding band were found in one of the organization's holiday kettles, according to the Salvation Army’s Waltham branch. The rings were accompanied by a note from the anonymous donor, who hoped they'd "bring joy" to somebody.
“This ring is being given in love for a second time,” the note read. “Like the first time, I hope that this ring will bring joy and make a difference.”
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The Salvation Army said that the money from the rings will go to help those in need in the Waltham area this holiday season.
“We are honored and humbled that someone would care enough to give something this precious to The Salvation Army to help others,” said Lt. Nicole Fullop of the Salvation Army in Waltham, per a press statement. “Donors dropping valuable jewelry and coins with notes into kettles has been happening for years and is often a reminder of how the kettle is a sign of hope.”
Courtesy The Salvation Army
A note that accompanied two rings that were anonymously donated in a Salvation Army red kettle in Waltham, MassachusettsRelated: Anonymous 'Santa' Pays Off $65K in Layaway Balances at Tennessee Walmart: 'A Christmas Miracle'
In an interview with CBS affiliate WBZ, Fullop said she came across a small baggie containing the rings with a dollar bill around it as she was tallying the donations.
"I was in shock. I was honored someone would think of the Salvation Army," Fullop told the news station.
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This latest donation of rings continues a tradition of someone anonymously dropping off jewelry in a Salvation Army kettle that was started by a widow sometime in 2014, according to the organization.
In 2015, a stranger in Billerica dropped off a wedding band and diamond engagement ring — which were worth a combined $3,5000 — in the organization's kettle, The Boston Globe reported.
And last year, NBC affiliate KFYR reported that a late nurse's wedding ring was donated in a Salvation Army kettle in North Dakota. “She passed away in 1970. Was a nurse at hospital for many years. A very loving and caring and giving person," the note read, per the outlet. "Hopefully there is some value in this. She is still giving!"
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As for this year, the Salvation Army said that it hopes to raise a total of $2.5 million in Massachusetts via the red kettle campaign, which concludes on Christmas Eve.
PEOPLE reached out to the Salvation Army for further comment on the donation in Waltham.
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