Salvation Army receives 7 Red Kettle gold donations during 2020 holiday season

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Red Kettles were still ringing this holiday season.

It was certainly more challenging with fewer people shopping in stores, but the Salvation Army said it received seven gold coins in the final days of the campaign.

A 1-ounce 2005 $50 American Gold Eagle coin was donation dropped into a kettle outside a Jewel-Osco in Bartlett after Thanksgiving.

RELATED: Salvation Army receives 1st Red Kettle gold donations of 2020 holiday season

Major Enrique Azuaje with the Salvation Army discussed the 2020 Red Kettle season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign dates back to 1891 in San Francisco.

The Salvation Army said it launched the Rescue Christmas campaign nearly two months early in 2020 to meet the unprecedented need.

Some area locations reported seeing as much as a fivefold increase in requests for food and emergency assistance since the start of the pandemic, according to the Salvation Army.

Azuage also shared his hopes for 2021.