[208 word article] The Penny Project: Calling all Youth!

The youth of First Baptist Church (FBC) in New London, N.H., are calling the youth of American Baptist Churches USA to raise both money and awareness for children in poverty nationwide.

In 2008, when FBC youth learned that 60,000 children were living in poverty in their state, they wanted to visualize that number. They decided to collect a penny to represent each child, so FBC youth canvassed the community, asking for pennies from church members, schools, and nearby neighborhoods. Within six months, they amassed 60,000 pennies!

Before donating the money to local food pantries, homeless shelters, and other organizations, they raised awareness by taking the pennies to the statehouse, where they met with the governor and state representatives.

Now FBC youth implore you to join their efforts to raise at least 14 million pennies by April 2010 to represent the number of children living in poverty in the United States and Puerto Rico.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies, American Baptist Churches USA, has developed resources to assist the youth of your church in developing a Penny Project of their own. These resources include a Web site to track amounts raised toward the goal of 14 million pennies. For more information, visit www.abhms.org/CIP/ or call 1-800-222-3872, ext. 2158.