Skip to content

Roll up your pennies to help kids

Next week the penny will go out of circulation, so now is the time to round them all up and put them to good use.

Next week the penny will go out of circulation, so now is the time to round them all up and put them to good use.

Scotiabank in Fernie has organised a competition with the other banks in town to see who can raise the most money from a penny drive.

Scotiabank, TD Canada Trust and the East Kootenay Community Credit Union are all taking part in the drive, which will raise money for Friends for Friends.

Although the penny is going out of circulation in Canada on February 4, the banks will still be accepting pennies, and other coins for the charity until March 1. Just gather up your pennies and other coins you want to donate and drop them in the jars on the counters. The staff will roll then and count them.

If you want to gather up your pennies and have them deposited into your account, you will need to roll them yourself and bring them in.

In Sparwood, the Royal Bank is also holding a penny drive, as part of their national We Day campaign which helps fund children’s programs worldwide.

While the Royal Canadian Mint will no longer strike new pennies for circulation, the coins will remain legal tender.

As for shoppers, nothing will change in terms of pricing if you are using debit cards, but if you pay in cash your purchase could be rounded to the nearest nickel.