DonB次元官网网址檛 tell Don Clarke a penny canB次元官网网址檛 make a difference.
The 94-year-old Langford resident, who grew up during the Great Depression, recalls every penny making a huge difference to him.
B次元官网网址淔or one cent you could get five to six pieces of candy,B次元官网网址� said the resident of the Alexander Mackie Lodge. B次元官网网址淔or a nickel you could buy a bag of candy you could hardly carry out the door.B次元官网网址�
Having lived through B次元官网网址渢he Dirty 30sB次元官网网址� where a multi-course meal could be had for a dime, he still appreciates the value of a penny today.
Clarke remembers shoveling a quarter-mile long driveway for 10 cents, before accidently dropping his dime into the cracks of a wooden walkway and losing hours of his hard work for nothing.
B次元官网网址淢ost people (today) donB次元官网网址檛 know what a penny is,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hey think itB次元官网网址檚 something to spend. We thought it was something to save.B次元官网网址�
For years Clarke B次元官网网址渞ode the rodsB次元官网网址� sneaking onto the tops of trains and lived from meal to meal in search of his next penny knows the feeling of having nothing.
B次元官网网址淭hose that have experienced tough times like myself (understand),B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淧eople who have been through it know what it is like to be without.B次元官网网址�
These days, dropping a penny or a dime might not be worth the effort of picking up B次元官网网址� but it could make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.
Black PressB次元官网网址� 15th annual Pennies for Presents is an opportunity for those with a little extra jingle in their pockets during the holiday season to drop off their change in support of those without. Whether the need is food, services or support, the need continues to be great.
Continuing on through Christmas Day, all money collected in the coin drive goes to the Mary Manning Centre, Threshold Housing Society, Victoria READ Society, the Young Parents Support Network and suicide prevention group, NEED2. The initiative collected more than $12,000 in Greater Victoria last year and more than $600,000 since its inception.
