I made a nice discovery today and thought others might also appreciate the information. The Coinstar machines at Albertson’s and Market Place can take your loose change and donate 100 percent of it directly to one of several charities.

My family wanted to donate to The American Red Cross to help with relief from Hurricane Katrina. We took our big jar of change (to which my children added handfuls from their own piggy banks) and we took it to the store, dumped it in and watched the total grow. After processing, it spit out a tax-deductible receipt and we were on our way. It couldn’t have been easier, we were thrilled (and a little surprised) with the total, and it was fun as well!

According to the Red Cross website, if half of those Americans living within two miles of a Coinstar machine donated just $1 in spare change to the Red Cross, it would raise more than $65 million to support American Red Cross lifesaving services in communities nationwide.

A. Van Dam

Oak Harbo