LYNCHBURG, Va. – Some old parking meters in Lynchburg have been refurbished and converted into piggy banks.
What once collected your parking fare is now collecting change for local nonprofits.
“We need people to clear off their change that they have in their dresser drawers and bring them down,” said Peggy Nolley, creator of Change for Change Caring Meters-Lynchburg.
Nolley started “Change for Change” Caring Meters in Lynchburg after seeing the idea in Canada.
“It seems to me that it wasn’t going to be very hard to do. The steps would be rather simple, and the process wouldn’t be too difficult, and the end result would be gigantic,” Nolley said.
A gigantic result Nolley said will help Lynchburg-area families.
The change dropped into nine meters across downtown and Boonsboro will go to local nonprofits, including some who are already struggling financially because of the pandemic.
“I know these agencies are stretched to the end point of their budget. So, I think all the help that they can get even though it’s not going to be huge dollars,” said Libby Fitzgerald, co-partner of Change for Change Caring Meters-Lynchburg.
Fitzgerald said major organizations in the Hill City will match whatever is collected.
Then every quarter, two agencies will be chosen to receive the money.
President and CEO of Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, Bill Bodine, is helping with that process because he works closely with them.
“I’m imagining that when we get together and make some final decisions for the first couple of monies that we give away. We’ll be looking strongly at those things: basic human needs,” said Bodine.
“There’s a lot of people that really feel like what can I do? Can really make a difference? And this is a way that they can truly make a difference,” Nolley said.
The group hopes to collect all the coins in the meters by December and hand out the money to their first organizations then.
There will be seven meters placed throughout Downtown Lynchburg and two in the Boonsboro area: the Boonsboro Shopping Center and the Corner on Rivermont.