In they went, one after another: Ten bundles of Benjamins — $10,000 in crisp hundreds.
For a fourth consecutive Christmas season, a generous, anonymous contribution has been made to a Salvation Army red kettle, continuing a mystery that has almost become a tradition.
But this year, the gesture has grown even grander. Until now, the mysterious contributions were always for $1,000.
The latest and largest of the anonymous donations that began in 2011 came Saturday at the kettle in front of the Lunds at 5159 W. 98th St. in Bloomington.
Salvation Army officials have dubbed the donor "St. Grand."
"This is an amazing gift," said Maj. Jeff Strickler, the Salvation Army's Twin Cities commander. "This person quietly makes the most generous donations, and we are blown away by this one in a single kettle."
Donations to Christmas season kettles are a major source of revenue for the Salvation Army, a nonprofit that provides housing, food and disaster relief, among other things, for people in need.
In 2013, there were 16 St. Grand donations of $1,000 each in kettles from Willmar to Arden Hills.
An additional $22,000 was given by St. Grand in 2012, with four of the $1,000 donations going as far outstate as Morris and International Falls.
In 2011, St. Grand dropped $1,000 into each of 23 Salvation Army kettles around the Twin Cities and one outside the metro area.
Saturday's 10-packs of hundreds were discovered that night once the kettle joined the many others for emptying by the security company hired to do a daily tally, said Salvation Army spokeswoman Julie Borgen.
"We have gotten large checks — one for $25,000, for instance — but never this much cash at one time," Borgen said.
The bell-ringer on duty "didn't notice anything unusual and just didn't have any idea" who might have been the person behind the $10K ka-ching, Borgen said.
She said the charity "assumes it's the same person" who's been at it since 2011 and has no interest in trying to reveal the identity by asking Lunds for its surveillance video or through other means of sleuthing.
"If the donor wants to remain anonymous, we should respect it," Borgen said.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
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