Here Come Anonymous Santas Again

Anonymous contributions are continuing to help needy neighbors around the end of this year.

In Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, the “Anonymous Santa” came forward to offer help without fail.

On December 22, around at noon, the Joongnosong2-dong office in Wansan-gu, Jeonju received a call from a man possibly in his 50s.

He said, “I put a shopping bag with cash and a piggy bank in front of the stone post of the village office. Use the money to help people in need,” and hung up.

In the shopping bag, there was five million won in cash and a piggy bank of 448,350 won in coins.

A note was also found in the bag that read, “I hope that at least our town will have no neighbors with unsatisfied needs.”

The same benefactor had put five million won in cash and a savings box of 367,330 won in coins at the same place around the same time last year. He has been offering contributions for five years since 2000 at the end of the year and on Children’s Day.

According to the Gwangju branch of the Salvation Army, on December 22, two envelopes, one containing a one million-won check and another 10 100,000-won checks, were found in charity pots in front of Gwangju post office on Chungjangro, Dong-gu, Gwangju and Geumnam Underground Mall also in Gwangju, respectively.

For the charity pot in front of Gwangju post office, a man in his 50s has reportedly been putting a one million-won check into the pot just two or three days before Christmas every year since 1999.

Since others have learned about the anonymous contributions, a man in his 40s has been leaving 10 100,000-won checks for two years since 2002 in the charity pot placed in Geumnam Mall, which is located close to the Gwangju post office. And other people are following suit.

In Seoul, too, one after another is offering their help anonymously.

According to the Community Chest of Korea on December 23, a corporate executive sent necessities including rice, cereals, soybean paste, brown seaweed, toothbrushes, all of which worth 20 million won, on December 21 through the Seoul branch of the organization to 29 unregistered welfare facilities.

His secretary reportedly made sure that the contribution was strictly confidential, saying, “If anyone tries to find out who I am or actually finds out who I am, I will make my contribution to other facilities.”

Another executive also delivered rice, ham, and other food worth 5,380,000 won to 30 families that are headed by teens. The executive is also said to have made a “well-intended threat” to the Gwanak-gu office, saying, “If my identity is revealed, I will not make a contribution.”

The Beautiful Fund, another charity, also had an anonymous contributor. On December 16, a woman in her 30s visited the organization and left 10 one million-won checks.

According to an official from the organization, she firmly declined any receipt for the checks and left.