The Salvation Army is celebrating two large donations made anonymously at the Fort Oglethorpe Wal-Mart.

On Thanksgiving Day, a man came up to bell ringer Marilyn Smith and dropped 43 $100 bills in her red kettle. Salvation Army staff said it was because of the publicity of that donation that they received a second donation of 23 $100 bills on Dec. 4, which bell ringer Burt Duncan collected.

According to a news release, the donor who gave the second contribution left a note that read, “Please call the media and notify them of this donation (not for any recognition on my part; this is of course, an anonymous gift). The reason for this request is that I would not have made this contribution had the other large donation not been made public.

“Sorry I could not match the other gift, but maybe this will ‘start the ball rolling’ for other donations of similar amounts! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, every one! Merry Christmas!”

Walker County Messenger