The anonymous donor dropped the gold South African Krugerrand, wrapped in a $50 bill, into the Red Kettle donation bucket, located at the Kroger on Bechtle Ave., on Thursday, according to a Salvation Army official.
The second donation came Monday when the Ohio Masonic Home presented a $25,000 to the Springfield Salvation Army.
The Springfield Salvation Army has seen a 282 percent increase in need of assistance with social services including utilities, rent, shelter and food compared to last year from March through October, Jamie Scanlon, social ministries director of the Springfield Salvation Army said.
The gold coin and other donations from the Red Kettle Campaign will assist with those services, Ryan Ray, development director of the Springfield Salvation Army said.
“This gold coin is definitely an investment in the work we are doing in the community,” Ray said. “It has never been more needed than it is this year.”
He said that he wants the donor to know that the Salvation Army is grateful for their continuous support.
“Thank you for creating a ripple effect with your gold coin, your way of giving and your message,” Ray said.
The Ohio Masonic Home stepped in to help when they learned that 600 tags on the Springfield Salvation Army Angel Tree were unclaimed.
Clark County families signed up at the end of October to be adopted this Christmas through the angel tree program. Their kids’ names, genders, ages, sizes and toy wishes were printed on angels and distributed to various locations.
Almost 40 percent of the 3,000 children in need are new to the Springfield Salvation Army, Ray said.
Ray told the News-Sun that when they saw the number of unclaimed tags last week they were worried, anxious and stressed - similar to how they felt when they first saw the number of children in need.
Scott Buchanan, CEO of the Ohio Masonic Home said they became aware of the need and decided to make a sizable donation to make sure every child has something on Christmas morning.
“We didn’t want anyone to go without,” Buchanan said.
Ray said the Ohio Masonic Home’s donation in conjunction with the Ohio Masonic Home Foundation and Springfield Masonic Community will fulfill at least half of the unclaimed angel tree tags.
“When you’re talking about Christmas this year, it means so much more than it has ever meant,” Ray said. “It’s an expression of love, it’s a statement to the kids that your community is going to take care of you, you matter to us, we love you.”
“With everything that has gone on we see it in our own homes with our own families. We don’t get to visit our parents, grandparents, our children’s lives with the schools have been turned upside down, so there’s no normalcy really,” Buchanan said. “This hopefully creates a little bit of normalcy in a time that is unprecedent to some extent.”
Each child in the program will receive two new toys, stocking stuffers, new clothes and stuffed animals when appropriate as part of the program, Ray said.
The Ohio Masonic Home has partnered with the Springfield Salvation Army for many years, Ray said.
“We wanted to make sure they (Clark County children) have an enjoyable Christmas and some hope going into 2021,” Buchanan said.
The Springfield Salvation Army is still in need of volunteers to help organize the toy shop, Ray said. Volunteers can stop by the Mercantile Building at the Clark County Fairgrounds, 4401 S. Charleston Pike in Springfield, anytime between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Toy distribution will begin Dec. 17.
For more information or to give to the Springfield Salvation Army, call 937-322-3434 or visit www. swo.salvationarmy.org/springfield-oh.
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