SARATOGA SPRINGS - Recuperating soldiers will be able to rest a little easier thanks to a "Pennies for Pillows" program that's raised more than $1,500.
Residents and groups from throughout the region, from North Creek to Ballston Spa, have participated in the fund drive that's part of Operation Adopt a Soldier and Project Yellow Ribbon.
Cushie Naptime pillows will be sent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany where American soldiers wounded in Iraq are recovering.
"We had a lot of different organizations that participated," said Terry Perry of Greenwich, who founded Project Yellow Ribbon almost four years ago. She's also co-chair of Operation Adopt a Soldier.
Top contributors were students of Shenendehowa's Karigon Elementary School, Johnsburg Central Schools, Schuylerville American Legion Post 271 Auxiliary and State Farm Insurance Co. employee Maureen Darr, all of whom collected $300 or more.
Some groups collected coins in coffee cans, paint cans and five-gallon buckets.
"You ask for pennies, but people throw in everything - quarters, dollar bills, $5 bills," Perry said.
To date, $1,565.99 has been collected and donations are still being accepted. Of the total received to date, $865.99 came from pennies - 86,599 of them.
Perry said people were notified about the fund-raising via e-mail. There was no publicity otherwise.
"It just took off from there," she said.
The specially designed pillows come in a variety of shapes and sizes such as a neck pillow and cylinder pillow.
"They're very therapeutic," Perry said.
She said she's unsure exactly how many pillows will be sent overseas. A supplier has just been told how much money was raised and pillows will be sent overseas in the next couple of weeks ©The Saratogian 2007