While many might see them as "shrapnel' weighing down the wallet, Dave and Bev Vincent see the humble five-cent coin as treasure.
For over five years, the couple have collected over $6500 worth of these small silver beauties, donating their stash each month to Christian Blind Mission.
This translates to sight-saving operations for 233 people, prosthetic legs for two crippled children, ointment for 100 children and 20 families heal them of trachoma (a debilitating eyelid inflammation), and vitamin A capsules for 181 children to prevent cataracts and other sight problems.
Two-thirds of the coins have come from the Vincents' fellow members of St John's, Minchinbury, who bring their own savings of five-cent coins to church.
"People at St John's have really got behind this - we never know whether we're going to get $1 worth or whether we're going to come home with $50," he smiles.
Dave adds that five-cent coins have proven an excellent way to introduce children to the idea of being generous towards people in need whom they've never met.
"It gives the children a thought to what happens overseas," he says. "It gets the children thinking, "we're so well off compared to hundreds of thousands of people'."
Dave and Bev have gathered $6675 worth of five-cent coins for their cause and believe it is a fundraising initiative that could be used more to great effect.
"If all people, young children, our youth and older, all started collecting five-cent coins, I believe God could do great things " save sight, food and clothes for the poor, missionaries' needs met etc," Dave says.
Unusual beginnings lead to unique initiative
Dave and Bev first came into contact with Christian Blind Mission in 1989, when they met the Sydney representative of CBM, Allan Windley through their leadership of a local children’s club.
Taking the five-cent coins to the bank can be a workout, Dave admits, adding that one trip the stash was so big he had to use a trolley " but he says every bit of effort is worthwhile.
Dave says the encouraging factor is that a sum as small as $25 can pay for an eyelid rotation, a surgical procedure performed on trachoma sufferers.
"I get that real buzz when I think "$25 " good, that's one more person stopped from going blind'."
The inspiration to collect came from simple, although somewhat unusual circumstances.
"Picking up five-cent coins and having five-cent coins thrown at me in schools (when I was a volunteer parent helper for students with learning problems) gave me the "vision' to save coins for charity," he recalls.
"I originally only intended to collect coins for 10 weeks, finishing at Christmas 2002. After collecting $114 worth of five-cent coins in 10 weeks, I, along with Bev, decided to continue."
Dave also receives coins from families at nearby Tregear Presbyterian Church and local neighbours.
It is another string to the couple's ministry bow, which includes Scripture teaching at six different schools, youth group leading, children's ministry and singing in church.
