A little red kettle outside a Twin Cities grocery store received a big dose of generosity Saturday when someone slipped into it a $200,000 check made out to the Salvation Army.
The check provided a much-needed boost for the faith-based charity, as donations to its annual Christmas campaign had been running about 10 percent behind last year's numbers, said spokeswoman Julie Borgen. The $200,000 check alone shrank that gap to 7 percent, she said.
"We were stunned and thrilled to have received such a large donation," said Lt. Col. Lonneal Richardson, leader of the Army's Northern Division. "This gift comes at a critical time for the Salvation Army."
The donor called the division's headquarters in Roseville on Saturday morning and alerted staff "that he intended to put a large check in a red kettle and know to look for it and it was legitimate," Borgen said.
The donor explained, Borgen said, that he made the large gift "to inspire other people to give as much as they can." He wished to remain anonymous, which is why the Salvation Army was not being more specific about where the well-fed kettle was located, she said.
Later that day, the check landed as advertised outside a Cub Foods store in the south metro. And no, it didn't bounce, she said.
Not only have donations been running behind as the end of the campaign comes into view this weekend, there are concerns that a winter storm forecast for later in the week could further hurt totals.
In 2015, a $500,000 check was dropped in a Salvation Army kettle outside the Cub Foods in Rosemount on County Road 42, just east of Shannon Parkway. The couple behind that donation also gave the gift with the understanding of remaining anonymous.
