Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Last hurrah for pennies

Funeral chapel collects coins for Free Press charity

By: Kevin Rollason

Posted: 02/28/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Trevor Hagan / Winnipeg Free Press Olive Fontaine with Free Press' Pennies for Heaven campaign spokesman Kevin Rollason.

THE Canadian Mint stopped making pennies earlier this month, but in Winnipeg the one-cent coin got one final day in the sun Wednesday.

Desjardins Funeral Chapel, at 357 Rue Des Meurons, capped off a month of collecting pennies for the Free Press' Pennies from Heaven fundraiser by holding a final celebration of the copper coin.

"People have been coming here right from the beginning with their pennies," funeral director Lynette Buchanan said Wednesday.

"We've had quite a line of people coming in. We even had the firefighters from the local station come in with their pennies and they parked their fire truck outside.

"We've been in the community for more than 100 years so we had people from the community come here, too."

At a special event on Wednesday, people donating pennies were treated to coffee and cookies while listening to singer Kristjana Hale and pianist Andrew St. Hilaire play pennies-inspired tunes such as Penny Lane and Pennies from Heaven.

Olive Fontaine, who donated a bag of pennies, said she loves supporting worthwhile causes.

"I've been doing it for years," she said.

"My granddaughter gets help so I support other organizations that help others, too."

The Pennies from Heaven campaign is a fundraiser for the Christmas Cheer Board and Winnipeg Harvest, two organizations that address the problem of hunger in the community.

People who still want to donate pennies can pop into the funeral home until Monday. As well, you can fill out a free ballot, which will be drawn on Monday, for a pair of Jets tickets to see Winnipeg play the Boston Bruins March 19.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 28, 2013 B5

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.