Catholic school's penny collection raises thousands for charity

Published: 2007-01-18

ROELAND PARK, Kan. (CNS) -- Although pennies are worth less than they cost to manufacture and are typically discarded, refused or treated as necessary nuisances, they have emerged at a Catholic school in Kansas as a powerful symbol in the struggle against poverty and hunger. Every year, Donna Merrill, a teacher at St. Agnes School in Roeland Park, collects pennies from students in her elementary school enrichment program and journalism classes to give to Heifer International, a charitable organization based in Little Rock, Ark., that works in 50 countries throughout the world. The charity provides livestock to the poor, offering a sustainable resource for individuals, families and villages to support themselves. Recipients are obliged to share some of the offspring of their animals with their neighbors in a community-building gesture. Last year, with about 100 children participating, the group collected enough pennies to purchase chickens and ducks through Heifer. This year the project took on a life of its own. By Dec. 31, the school had collected about 250,000 pennies. The goal for the year "was to buy a pig," Merrill said. "Currently, we have enough to buy 20 pigs."

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .