Gold Coin Found in Salvation Army Kettle

The Salvation Army got a nice surprise when it was discovered one of the coins dropped in a Red Kettle in suburban Chicago wasn't just another coin.

The Lake County News-Sun reports that over the Thanksgiving weekend, somebody anonymously dropped a 1-ounce gold coin worth $1,200 in one of the Salvation Army's kettles outside a Walmart store in Round Lake Beach.

In a news release, the Salvation Army's Waukegan Corps says the gold coin couldn't have come at a better time. That's because some of the money dropped in kettles is spent helping those who need it pay their rent or utility bills.

Officials say this year the Salvation Army has seen a marked increase in the number of people asking for assistance paying those bills.