Brookline Woman Drops Diamond Pendant into Salvation Army Kettle

The Salvation Army’s getting into the jewelry business this year, thanks to some very generous donations.

Inspired by the Salvation Army wedding and engagement ring donation earlier this month, another Bostonian has given to the non-profit charity organization by parting with a piece of expensive jewelry. This time a Brookline resident dropped an envelope containing a diamond cross pendant into a bell-ringer’s kettle in an effort to give back to the community that welcomed her and her family.

“Since relocating, people have been so warm, friendly, kind and accommodating to us, and I have been trying to think of a way to give back to the people of Boston,” the anonymous donor said in a note enclosed with the diamond cross. She says in the letter that she emigrated from Australia to Brookline with her three sons in April, and that the gesture was prompted by the anonymous wedding ring donor who earlier this month dropped two rings in a North Station kettle in honor of her late husband. Both donors asked that the charity sell their jewelry and use the proceeds to help those less fortunate this holiday season. The rings were estimated to be worth $1,850 and the white-gold, diamond encrusted cross pendant has been appraised at $1,500.

“There’s something special happening here in Boston,” Salvation Army Captain Myron Smith, who found the pendant, said in a statement. “It’s great to see Bostonians inspired by acts of generosity during this holiday season.”

But this good deed is not the first to arise from the initial December 3 ring donation. Last week a second Massachusetts widower and former bell-ringer for the Salvation Army bought the rings from the organization for $21,000—more than ten times their value– so that she could return them to the original donor. The Salvation Army said in a statement today that those two women are scheduled to meet before Christmas.

The $22,500+ acquired from the heartfelt donations will go toward the charity’s state-wide $3.36 million fundraising goal for this year. The funds from the jewelry will most likely be used to buy toys for underprivileged children, as the donors asked that they do.

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