(But not of me. Kate contributed the blog post below over a week ago and, like a lost penny, it ended up in my misplaced mental baggage somewhere between here and New York. - Lani)
Arrianne, Janet, Andre, and Stacey put a recycled water bottle to good use.
The pennies saved and the pennies earned in Ben Franklin’s day had considerable more purchasing power than our present-day one-cent coins, now worth less than the metal they’re made of.
These days most people won’t stoop over to pick up anything smaller than a quarter, which is why our sidewalks are lined with coins and why so many of them disappear every year into our dresser drawers and upholstered furniture. Experts at the U.S. Mint estimate that non-circulating coppers and nickels and dimes lost in the homes of people like you and me could add up to billions of dollars.
Last month we Bullseye folks decided to tap into this hidden treasury and pool our small change for the Oregon Food Bank’s big spring drive. Several days after the photo (above) was taken, our jug o’ coins was nearly brimming. As the person who hauled off the loot for counting, I can say that it seemed to weigh about a ton—which, oddly enough, is almost exactly the amount of food our donation will buy, according to the Food Bank’s calculation.
A ton of food for a bunch of dusty base metal—I think even Poor Richard would have to smile at that.
