ABOUT A HALF TON OF PENNIES FOR A WORTHY CAUSE

The school children of Taunton have raised over 1100 pounds of pennies and other currency, which were on display at the Old Colony Historical Society as part of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial celebration. After the party on February 12, the pennies were brought be processed into larger denominations to purchase gift cards to local supermarkets and department stores to be donated to the city's Veterans' Services office to benefit families of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Participating schools included Benjamin A. Friedman Middle School (over 400 pounds), Mulcahey Middle School, the Elizabeth Pole campus of Parker Middle School, East Taunton Elementary School, Barnum School, and Walker School. Many thanks to School Committee member Janis Nowak and firefighter Paul Allison for coordinating this extraordinary effort, to Jane Hennedy and the staff at the Old Colony Historical Society for displaying them, and to the Taunton Fire Department for moving them around.