Alaska is a different kind of place, even where charity and the spirit of Christmas are concerned. For several years, in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, someone has been dropping South African Krugerrands, worth about $2,000 each, into Salvation Army kettles here and there around the Valley. And they are doing so anonymously; no one knows from whom the gifts are coming.
It’s becoming quite the tradition, but one that remains shrouded in mystery. Maj. Kevin Bottjen, the officer for The Salvation Army Mat-Su Valley Corps, learned Dec. 9, that another Krugerrand had made its way into one of the organization’s red kettles.
This marks the seventh consecutive year the gold, 1 ounce coin made its way into the bottom of a kettle in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Bottjen said he was excited when he got the call from his colleague Janet Kincaid.
“She said ‘Kevin, we got another one!’…
