Diamond Ring Donating Tradition in Massachusetts Wows Salvation Army

'Tis the season for Salvation Army volunteers collecting money outside of stores!

The Salvation Army donation pop-ups remind me every year that I need to give back.

According to the Salvation Army Eastern Region website, when you toss some spare change or cash into those red kettles, "Proceeds are used to fund our Adult Rehabilitation Centers, where those struggling with drugs and alcohol find help, hope, and a second chance at life."

I love this message, so whenever I see the red kettles or hear the bells the volunteers constantly ring, I try and do the right thing by donating some spare change or a few bucks.

Well, people in Boston, Massachusetts, have been taking that to a new level since 2014.

While counting the donations in the red kettles last week, a member of the Salvation Army collecting outside of a Market Basket in Waltham, MA, found something unusual – a diamond wedding ring, wedding band, and note.

The note read:

"This ring is being given in love for a second time," the anonymous donor wrote, according to a WCVB article. "Like the first time, I hope that this ring will bring joy and make a difference."

This is incredibly generous. It may come as a shock to most. However, this is not the first time this has happened.

It seems like donating rings, coins, and other valuable items has become kind of a tradition in Boston. This started in 2014 when "a widow’s donation of her wedding and diamond engagement rings outside of Boston’s North Station touched off a spree of jewelry donations across the region," according to WCVB.

This past week's donation of the wedding rings was valued at $1,500. An incredible act of generosity to the anonymous donor.

“We are honored and humbled that someone would care enough to give something this precious to The Salvation Army to help others,” said Lt. Nicole Fullop of The Salvation Army in Waltham. “Donors dropping valuable jewelry and coins with notes into kettles has been happening for years and is often a reminder of how the kettle is a sign of hope,” he told WCVB.