Anonymous donor drops winning lottery ticket in Salvation Army red kettle

A winning scratch-off lottery ticket worth $1,000 has been anonymously donated to one of the Salvation Army's red kettles.

The Pennsylvania Lottery announced in a recent press release that "the prize-winning ticket for the Fantastic 10s instant game was dropped into a Salvation Army red kettle at a Walmart in Erie on December 6, 2016."

Major Leslie Walter, an officer with the local charity office, is quoted as saying, "We've received donations of winning instant tickets in the past, but they're usually in an amount of $10 or $20 – never something of this size. We are very grateful for this generous donation, which will help us to serve people and families in need."

The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign, which is currently in its 126th year, has previously received generous donations ranging from a $500,000 check to a series of anonymous drops which have totaled almost $100,000 since 2011.

The campaign raised a total of nearly $150 million in 2015.