The Twin Cities Salvation Army in Minneapolis has announced that it was the recipient of a $500,000 check dropped into one of its holiday red kettles by a local couple who wish to remain anonymous.

The gift is the largest single donation ever made through a red kettle in the Twin Cities and possibly the largest ever in the Salvation Army Northern Division's Minnesota and North Dakota territory. Salvation Army spokesperson Annette Bauer told the Associated Press that the couple alerted officials the check was coming and asked them to open the kettle and remove the check before volunteers who count donations could see their names. Last Friday, the Twin Cities Salvation Army announced that it had raised more than $1.6 million toward its goal of $11.6 million for this year's holiday campaign — down $500,000 from what it had raised last year at this point.

The donors told the Salvation Army they made the gift in hopes of encouraging others to give as generously as they can. They also wanted to honor one of their fathers, who told them he was always grateful to the Salvation Army Donut Lassies who brought free coffee and donuts to soldiers during World War I and who established a family legacy of supporting the Salvation Army. In addition, as a young couple, the donors often relied on discarded food from the local grocery store, while today they are in a position to help others in need. "You get to a point in life," they said, "where it's time to take care of others the way you were taken care of."