Pennies from Students Will Help to Feed Families in Need

Pennies, pennies, everywhere... and for a great cause.

Students at Sterling School were searching in between sofa cushions, scanning parking lots for discarded pennies and begging their parents for spare change to win this contest.

And, 64,000 pennies later, they are changing the lives of some needy families in the Upstate.

The school converted the copper coins into a $640 check to God's Pantry, a local nonprofit that helps to feed more than 2,500 families a month.

Wendy Lockaby, who works with the ministry, said the $640 will feed 124 people in need for one week.

"On average we can feed one person for a week for about $5," Lockaby said. "We supply them with a box of food that includes, canned foods, canned meat, pasta and things to make a week's worth of meals."

Members of the student council said that each grade had a marked watercooler tank to collect the cold-hard cash.

"We had them sitting on a table, but after a while, the table started to bow," one student council member said.

The third and fourth grade students were very close in donations throughout the the race. But a student council member said a last-minute donation by a parent, pushed the third graders into the lead.

The student council said students learned more about the ministry, while participating in the fundraiser. When they learned just how many people the school helped feed during this drive, the students were excited.

"And it was all in pennies," said Hannah Patterson, a member of the student council.

The ministry, which operates 13 pantries in four counties, provides more than 40 tons of food a month to between 2,500 and 3,500 people a month.

Ellen Williams, who also works with the ministry, said that 40 percent of the food pantry's clients have children under the age of 17, while another 40 percent are over the age of 58.

God's Pantry takes donations of food, money and time, for more information visit their website.