Transforming Spare Change Into REAL Change

When you harvest your grain, always leave some of it standing along the edges of your fields and don't pick up what falls on the ground. Don't strip your grapevines clean or gather the grapes that fall off the vines. Leave them for the poor and for those foreigners who live among you. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:9-10 (Contemporary English Version)

In the Old Testament these guidelines existed so that the poor would have resources with which to make bread and drink. And for the land owner, the process was really quite easy to do, in fact it was based on doing less: Don't go to the edges of your fields and don't pass over the land a second time to glean all the remains. It was kind of like automatic deductions – what you don't see, you don't seem to miss so much.

In today's time many things are still the same:

• We (earn money to) feed, clothe and shelter ourselves and our families;
• There are still poor people around who need our help.

So what is the equivalent to leaving the edges of the fields and the grapes that fall off the vines? Spare change! You know, the jingly stuff in your hand that you put into an ashtray in your car after a run to the store or drive through. The loose change that weighs your pockets down, falls into the sofa cushions, and clutters the top of your dresser. It causes you more work because you have to do something with it to corral it.

Like the Bible reference above, we have a way for you to take care of the poor while removing this 'pesky' spare chain from mussing your life. Try it out for a month and see if it works for you.

How to Participate

1. Go to the website (www.srmission.org) and click the “Transform Spare Change Into REAL Change” project.
2. Print out the label and attach it to a can. We recommend a clean soup can.
3. Print out the REAL change certificates. Use these instead of money to give to someone who is asking for money. They can get a hot meal and a bed – space allowing.
4. Place the can in any location that seems to gather spare change: the cup holder in your car, the kitchen counter, the bedroom dresser. You can place several or give one to each family member.
5. At the end of the project, bring it to the Chapel service at the Mission
   (101 6th St, Santa Rosa CA) and see it combine with the spare change of others where it will do some REAL change. Or just drop it off at the Administration offices (1821 Piner Rd, Santa Rosa CA) during business hours.

What Will You Discover?

Collecting spare change into a significant dollar amount takes time. As you drop change into your cup after each meal, think about those who may have gone without food for this meal.

Spare change doesn't go far on its own. If you give change to a homeless person, they don't go to the grocery store and buy healthy food to cook, they usually eat at a fast food place or a convenience market. The Mission can cook nutritious meals for many people on the spare change you give.

We ask you to try this project for one month and see if it helps you to better understand the needs of the poor.