Kane County Salvation Army finds second gold coin in donation kettle

For the second time this holiday season, volunteers at the Salvation Army Tri-Cities Corps have found a gold coin among their donations in Kane County.

The first gold coin, a $50 Gold American Eagle coin, was donated to the kettle outside the Starbucks in downtown Geneva and found on Dec. 2.

This time, volunteers found a South African Krugerrand in the kettle at the Jewel-Osco on Kirk Road in St. Charles.

Both coins are estimated to be worth at least $2,000 each.

The second coin was donated on Saturday, Dec. 16, and found on Monday while volunteers were counting the collections.

Steven Hawkins, a resource development director for the Salvation Army, said the giving of the coin has become a great tradition, and when volunteers find one, it always brings morale up.

“We always joke around and tell volunteers to keep an eye out for it,” Hawkins said. “It’s strange how excited people get when it actually happens. They’re just thrilled.”

Hawkins said they plan to get the coins appraised and sold after Christmas, and the proceeds will benefit the Salvation Army food pantry. He said it is hard to say if they will reach their collection goal of $195,000, but they are happy with how much they have received.

“We appreciate it so much that they think of us and the good work that we do when they make their donations, and they’re a part of that – helping their own community,” Hawkins said, “ It’s really important. It’s a wonderful thing.”

The Salvation Army has a large food pantry in St. Charles, which Hawkins said has been difficult to maintain in recent years. In 2022, the pantry served 6,200 people.

So far this year, their food pantry has served more than 10,000 people, and Hawkins said the gold coins, along with the countless other donations, will help supplement the pantry with additional items to keep up with demand.