ASHLAND, Ky. — It started with a sermon about the value of a penny, and ended this week when three tons of them were delivered to a bank.
The Rev. Jim Varney, with the help of the Grayson Freewell Baptist Church and others, delivered one million pennies to a local bank.
The two-year effort netted $10,000 and a valuable lesson about the power of perseverance. Varney said the message of his sermon was that things like pennies might seem worthless and insignificant when there’s only a few of them, but they can add up to a lot.
The fact the goal was reached was all the more rewarding because about six months into the project, the church was burglarized and the approximately $500 in pennies that had collected were stolen.
The burglars were caught and order to make restitution, but not in pennies.
Cashing in that much change presented a logistical problem. A bank agreed to take the coins but asked that they be taken to various branches for counting. Transporting the many, many sacks of money also required the teamwork of a small army.
A bank spokesman said the money would be stored in a vault and then sent to the Federal Reserve.
Varney said the $10,000 would be deposited in the building fund and used to refurbish the steeple of the church, which was built in 1976.
Varney said Grayson Freewill Baptist would next try to amass 10,000 $1 bills, a task he doesn’t think will be as difficult as working with pennies. “Dollars are a lot easier to handle than pennies,” he said.
---
Details for this story were provided by The Independent in Ashland, Ky.
Fmr. TWA Flight 800 Investigators Want New Probe
Raw: Heat, Spurs Back on Court Ahead of Game 7
Dolce and Gabbana Convicted of Tax Evasion
Paris, Prince Depositions Used in Jackson Trial
Coiffed Cattle Get Their Close-up
In Berlin, Obama Channels Cold War Activism
Police at Patriots Tight End's Home for 2nd Day
Fed Suggests Bond Purchases Could Slow
AP: DOJ Broke Own Rules Seizing Phone Records
Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo
Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
Aug. Trial Set for Ohio Man in Triple Kidnapping
Car Crash in NYC's East Village Injures 8
