Lynchburg’s repurposed parking meters lead to $4,000 donation
Change for Change presented the check on Monday
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LYNCHBURG, Va. – Spare change is changing lives for those struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.
As 10 News first reported last fall, refurbished parking meters in downtown Lynchburg and Boonsboro use spare change to fund agencies helping those in need.
On Monday, organizers of the Change for Change caring meters presented their first check, one worth $4,000 made out to to the Interfaith Outreach Association.
Shawne Farmer, Interfaith’s executive director, said it’s a lifeline for people behind on utility bills due to COVID-19.
For weeks, it seemed like the phones at Interfaith Outreach Association would not stop ringing.
Since late June, the Lynchburg-based nonprofit has served as the local state-designated grantee tasked with helping distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in housing assistance to residents who have lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Interfaith has been flooded with calls from residents late on rent who are desperate to stay in their homes during the worst public health crisis in a century, according to Shawne Farmer, the associationâs longtime director.
âOur lines stayed so busy, we couldnât call out,â Farmer said.