LEWISTON — The Salvation Army got a boost in the mail Wednesday that will help them assist needy families, Lt. Dan Johnson said Wednesday.

“We received a gold coin in the mail from Mr. Christopher Kringle from the North Pole.” It was addressed to ‘A child in need,'” Johnson said.

While the giver remains anonymous, “I’ve confirmed that the coin is real and what it’s worth,” Johnson said. At Goldworks in Auburn, “they told me it was worth $1,260. That’s the rate for today.”

Ashley Stuart of Goldworks looked at the coin. It’s an Eagle coin, she said, worth that much because it’s 1 ounce of pure gold. The $1,260 value is based on the current gold market, Stuart said. 

Johnson will be cashing in the coin. “It will definitley help our kettle goal, which we have not met.”

The goal is to raise $95,000 this Christmas season. As of Wednesday, the organization had raised $89,000. “We have four days left, and we don’t have many bell ringers left. A lot are out sick. Or they found work elsewhere. It’s a challenge.”

The number of families asking for help from The Salvation Army “keeps going up. The last number my wife had was around 250 families with over 500 children,” Johnson said.

He said he’s grateful to the anonymous giver of the gold coin. 

Anyone interested in ringing the bell for an hour or two can call Johnson at 402-8632.

Lt. Dan Johnson opened the mail Wednesday and discovered someone had mailed a 1-ounce gold coin to The Salvation Army in Lewiston. The mailer that contained the gold coin was addressed to “A Child In Need” and the return address was for “Mr. Christopher Kringle” at the North Pole. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Lt. Dan Johnson opened the mail on Wednesday and discovered someone had mailed a 1-ounce gold coin to The Salvation Army in Lewiston. The mailer that contained the gold coin was addressed to a “A Child In Need” and the return address was for “Mr. Christopher Kringle” at the North Pole. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Copy the Story Link