Pennies from Haven

The "Pennies from Haven Project," which is not a public foundation nor is it connected to any organization with a similar name, was established in consciousness in 2003 for the prime purpose of distributing funds to what are perceived to be needy individuals in the local community. The actual work on the ground also began in 2003.
"Beagle Haven" is the home of "Max" the resident Beagle and also home of "The Cosmic Broom" published in 2012, as well as the home of the Pennies from Haven work.
This charitable work (which does not receive funding from outside sources) was established in order to deliver every penny of the cash donation to the recipient without expense costs, and does so in person, and at the same time carries out this activity anonymously! The concept was born out of the disappointing news regarding mishandled funds within many large charitable organizations especially in the 1970's and 1980's.
Despite high profiling possibilities in today’s age of social media, the bad guys are still at it and the outright theft of donated funds continues, as Sixty Minutes has shown examples of this year.
Americans are the most generous people on earth and even in hard times, funds continue to flow into places where the needs exist, and one continues to be supportive of certain charitable institutions and to the current monthly disasters of one sort or another.
"Pennies from Haven" is an adjunct to all of this, and for this writer, this activity has some entertaining and rewarding benefits where buy everyone is a winner.

HEARS HOW IT WORKS
In my community I have chosen a variety of locations where I am likely to find a low income population where the "PENNIES" may be distributed. As you can see from the photographs, the variety of currency in the small hand-held packet is labeled, rolled and secured with an elastic band. It is easy to hold in the palm of your hand where it is not visible while walking in public, in the process of selecting the unsuspecting recipient.
I have four levels of currency in each packet, all of which contain at least one two dollar bill, which seem to encourage saving. When I make the delivery I do not know how much the recipient will receive although I do keep aside a special gift for what I deem to be a special need.
Some of the locations I use are thrift stores, low income grocery stores, farmers markets, areas near homeless shelters, and public parks. Some deliveries are "mobile launches" from the downed passenger side windows directed to street people and others soliciting funds at red lights, and children traveling to and from school. Listed below are some examples of the delivery systems I employ.
THE VEGETABLE BIN SURPRISE
This action takes place at farmers markets and low income grocery stores and is very easy to carry out. As you can see from the photo, the gift is concealed in the palm of the hand and therefore undetectable. While shopping or pretending to be shopping, you simply submerge the gift under a pepper or tomato or cucumber then go on your way as a fantasy comes into play seeing in the mind’s eye the perplexity of the recipient who upon discovery is forced to take some kind of action under these circumstances. First I suspect after the label is read, the hand of the recipient embraces the packet in the same way as the delivery system while at the same time gazing (not too suspiciously) from side to side , forward and back slowly until a decision as to what to do is arrived at.
THE PICK POCKET ANTITHESIS.
This delivery system is particularly difficult and requires a nearly meditative state of mind in order to carry it out successfully. (meditative implies very attentive). While in a thrift store or other public area I select the recipient, often times a little old lady with a three dollar dress and frizzled gray hair who is walking the aisles and carefully examining an item for possible purchase. I not only observe her while I pretend to shop, but I observe the other people in the area as well as the cash register attendant and employees of the store in order to find the right time to make the drop into one of the items in her shopping cart or in her hand bag if it has a large enough opening at the top.
When I have determined that a favorable opportunity has presented itself, then I take a deep breath and make my move. The success of the drop produces a rather nice feeling and gives added resolve to move on to the next opportunity.
While in a thrift store there are enumerable other low risk places to leave a gift without being detected, such as making a drop in an item for sale, like a flower vase, a cup or even under the lid of a coffee maker. One of my favorites is to leave a packet in a hand bag on sale. One time I was able to attach it as a mustache on a doll!
THE AERIAL ASSAULT
While driving through low income areas I am always on the lookout for the opportunity to launch a packet out of the moving car window so that it lands in front of the recipient. This action is not always successful because keen judgment regarding the speed of the vehicle in conjunction with the trajectory of the launch is required in order for the missile to land in the right place. Should it miss, then someone else will find it later.
There was a time when I spied an elderly man on the side of the road fixing his disabled bike. I made several passes because I wanted to get this one just right. The gods were with me this day because the launch hit him on the head then fell to his feet and I was moving slow enough to see it all as the “Pennies from Haven” seemed to have lived up to its name! As I moved safely away, through the rear view, I could see him looking up. Delight, delight.
THE SLIPPERY SLIDE SURPRISE
This delivery is for small children who are at the park with their parents. The gift can be left on the seat of a swing or a stair going up a slide or on the platform where the child prepares to get on the slippery slide. A water cooler is a good place as well. One is never present when the gifts are recovered but I can hear the high pitched sound of “mommy, mommy,” look what I found”! That’s part of the enjoyment of this sort of activity. Surveillance is too difficult in the park situation so the deposits are always made under the cover of darkness.
SOUTHERN EXPOSURE
I have been carrying out this activity anonymously for ten years and have recently been wondering whether or not there are other adventurous souls or eccentrics or whatever who would be interested in taking on this approach to charitable giving. So if anyone is interested, than just simply do it.
There is nothing to join, no leaders, no board meetings, no newsletters, no passwords. This story will be posted on its own web page and through Face Book and other public outlets and if an interest starts to grow then perhaps someone in the future may be willing, and come forward and add a counter and support the page for people to take the pledge to do it in the same way some now take a pledge to “text not” while driving. For those who are reading this and like it, then do like it, and pass the idea along and have your friends friend me on Face Book and support the idea. It may well be a pipe dream, but over the next year or two, if “Pennies” gathers some momentum, then why not a new national fun thing to do where, when done from the heart, everyone is a winner!