Pennies: Tiny Coins, Big Impact

Published on March 06, 2026

Those pennies that are sitting in jars, junk drawers and car consoles could be shifted from forgotten to impactful in one quick trip to the Los Alamos County Municipal Building.

The U.S. stopped making pennies last fall, which means the coins you already have are slowly being phased out of circulation. The Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is holding a Penny Drive to collect these little copper warriors throughout March and all coins collected will be put toward the Utilities Assistance Program (UAP).

“Many people never spend their pennies and just let them take up space in their homes instead,” said DPU Data Analyst Amy Danforth. “Even though they’re not being made anymore and they have a reputation of little worth, pennies are still real money and can turn into real dollars for the UAP.”

Funded through the generous, voluntary contributions of utility customers and community members, the UAP provides regular assistance to qualified, low-income residential customers as well as customers who are qualified through the Social Security Administration for Supplemental Security Income (generally customers over the age of 65). The program also allows one-time assistance to account holders who demonstrate need due to unforeseen, unusual circumstances.

You’re encouraged to stop using those jars of pennies as doorstops and instead bring them to DPU’s Customer Care Center throughout March for donation to the UAP. Instead of letting pennies disappear quietly, let’s give them a final mission: helping local families keep essential services on.

The Los Alamos County Municipal Building is located at 1000 Central Avenue and the Customer Care Center is on the ground floor near the main entrance doors. Pennies can be dropped off there Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.