A Minnesota couple who lived on discarded food when they first got married dropped a $500,000 personal check into one of the Salvation Army’s red kettles at a suburban grocery store over the weekend.

“The check did clear and was deposited in the bank,” said spokeswoman Julie Borgen said. “They feel very strongly about the gift being anonymous.”



It was the largest single donation ever to the Salvation Army in the Twin Cities.

The donors told the Salvation Army they had relied on discarded food from a local grocery store as a young couple and could now afford to help others.

They also wanted to honor one of their fathers who served in the first world war and had been grateful for coffee and doughnuts the Salvation Army had provided to soldiers, the group said in a statement.

“You get to a point in life where it’s time to take care of others, the way you were taken care of,” the donors said.

The check was placed in a kettle Saturday at a grocery store in Rosemount, Minnesota. The Salvation Army did not identify the couple or give any details about them. Borgen said only that they were not from Rosemount.

The previous biggest donation to the Twin Cities Salvation Army was $25,000.