Donor drops gold coin worth $1,200 into Kankakee kettle

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) - The Salvation Army says someone in Kankakee dropped a 1-ounce Canadian gold coin worth more than $1,200 into one of the charity's holiday donation kettles.

The (Kankakee) Daily Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2gtjLPQ ) the coin was found Tuesday in a kettle at a Circle K convenience store. Major Michele Heaver of the Kankakee County Salvation Army says the coin "helps greatly with reaching our goal." The charity's goal for this year is $270,000. They're nearing the half-way mark.

The donation was anonymous. The coin is known as a Canadian Maple Leaf. It's technically $50 in Canadian money but is worth its weight in gold.

The newspaper reports that for the last 26 years someone has dropped a solid gold coin into a Salvation Army kettle.

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Information from: The Daily Journal, http://www.daily-journal.com