Two months for penny drive to catch up

There are only two months left to donate to the Brownsville-Gilberton One Million Penny Drive benefiting local charities.

The yearlong drive started Sept. 30 and is now in its third quarter, but donations have continually missed the quarterly target goals of $2,500. The total donations for April, May and June 2005, added up to $359.27. To date, the drive has raised a total of $2,130.02 for local charities.

“We’re way, way behind and I don’t expect us to catch up,” said Gilda Patterson, volunteer coordinator. “But so far we have still collected over $2,000 that the charities wouldn’t have had.”

Four Brownsville groups have been collecting pennies and each selected a charity that it would like the proceeds to go to. Brownsville Elementary School will divide its proceeds between StandUp For Kids and Corey’s Day on the Farm. U-Haul in Brownsville selected PAWS of Bremerton Pet Adoption Center. Brownsville United Methodist Church will be donating its collected pennies to the Central Kitsap Food Bank and Brownsville Elementary School. And Brownsville Marine & Deli also chose the Central Kitsap Food Bank as its selected charity.

“Donations do not need to be pennies — change, cash and checks are welcome,” Patterson said.

Donations can be dropped off at any four of the collection sites or the front office of the Central Kitsap Reporter. Checks should be made payable to the charity. Checks also can be mailed to Patterson at 9295 Illahee Road Northeast, Bremerton, Wa. 98311.

“We need to build up more momentum,” Patterson said.

She is hoping that once school begins again, the donations will increase.

“I think people are doing the best they can,” she said. “We’re hoping to have a big push right at the time that school starts.”

Brownsville Marine & Deli, U-Haul and Brownsville Elementary have been passing the funds along to their selected charities as they receive the donations. Brownsville United Methodist Church plans to give the donations to its selected charities in one lump sum at the completion of the drive, according to Patterson.

U-Haul also has been matching the funds as they come in, she said.

“Whatever has been put in, they have been matching it,” Patterson said. “It’s so exciting that they’re doing that for PAWS.”

For more information about the Brownsville-Gilberton One Million Penny Drive, call Patterson at (360) 692-5903.

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