St. Edward’s University faculty and staff have pooled their resources to contribute to the United Way, donating both pennies and pounds.

Auxiliary Services Project Manager Johnnie DeMoss sent all faculty and staff pledge forms to donate to the United Way campaign. After two weeks, DeMoss has collected a little over $10,000.

“The big campaign was mainly for faculty and staff,” DeMoss said. “It was a donation of cash or check or through payroll deduction.”

According to their mission statement, United Way Capital Area “advances our common good by driving measurable change and empowering people to improve the quality of life for themselves and others.”

As a way to open the campaign to students, DeMoss placed penny jars in Meadows Coffeehouse, the Doyle Café and the Copy Center in the hope that students would donate spare change.

“A lot of people have extra pennies; this one company had delivered over $2,000 from pennies,” DeMoss said.

The penny jars were placed throughout campus in early October, and the campaign will end this week.

All the money collected stays in Travis County and goes to fulfilling the United Way mission. Funds contribute to meals for older adults or adults with disabilities, reading books for children, family counseling, parenting classes, after school programs and other community service projects.

Although the jars had money in them, junior barista Brandin Goodwin from Meadows didn’t notice anyone donating.

“Maybe if there was a sign saying what the cause was for because it’s kind of ambiguous,” Goodwin said.

People donated more than just pennies to the jars. There were quarters, dimes, nickels and even dollar bills, although the jars were not all the way full. DeMoss said that the penny jars were just a little extra attempt to contribute to the cause and that the jars gave students the opportunity to donate.

“Even if you got $20, it does ‘x’ amount of good,” DeMoss said.