A penny smashing way to raise funds

Submitted by Fish for Teeth

Fish for Teeth is pleased to announce a new aspect to our Friday Harbor community flavor! Now standing front-and-center on Spring Street in front of Friday Harbor Drug, is a Penny-Smashing machine, aka Penny-Press, aka Elongated Coin Machine. This machine converts 51¢ US coinage into a freshly “minted” elliptically-shaped souvenir “coin.”

Four images are offered for this fantastic souvenir token: Fish for Teeth’s smiling fish with a mouthful of healthy teeth; San Juan Island, in all its glory; A thoughtful seagull on a piling; and Matt’s Fresh Fish happy-salmon logo.

After two quarters and a penny are pushed through the slot, the penny drops into the precise position to be transformed into a pressed penny souvenir. Next, the excited patron of our new penny-press machine turns the crank four or five times, squeezing the penny against the die, pressing the image into the smashed penny, and “viola!” the token souvenir drops down the chute and can be and remembered for years to come.

Penny-pressing is an activity that has its own fan club. On a small scale, many people have their own modest collection of smashed pennies. The Elongated Collectors (TEC) is the official collector club of elongated coins, which takes this collecting to the next level. The Fish for Teeth elongated coin machine will become a reason for avid collectors to visit our little town!

All proceeds from the penny-smasher will benefit Fish for Teeth and its tooth-fixing efforts on San Juan Island. In addition, there is a slot to drop Kings Market receipts; Kings Market will kick back 1% of collected receipts to Fish for Teeth. So anyone can swing by the machine after shopping and “donate” their Kings receipt(s) to benefit the Fish for Teeth tooth-fixing mission. The receipt slot is also large enough to accommodate any coin or cash donations as well.

Fish for Teeth is soon to hold its first Community Dental Clinic, where local volunteer dental professionals will fix the teeth of people who cannot otherwise afford the care. Since 2012 Fish for Teeth has sponsored the Medical Teams International mobile dental van, but that model has become less cost-efficient, so we created a more sustainable program.

Fish for Teeth is a 100% volunteer 501-c-3 non-profit. We generate our own funds through fish taco fundraisers or direct donations from caring community members. We receive no government funding but rather work cooperatively with San Juan County to make our programs be the best they can be. Find out more at www.fishforteeth.com

Fish for Teeth is happy to offer our service to the community, and very pleased to offer this exciting and fun penny-smashing machine for our locals and visitors to enjoy for years to come.