241,540 pop tabs and 22,439 nickels can go a long way – and will make quite a difference.

Kent Interhall Council raised money for local charities through its annual nickel and pop tab drives, which are two of three events in the War of the Halls.

Traci Sanders, KIC’s director of community development, said she planned the program to encourage residence halls to help charity and get involved in the community.

Ten residence halls participated in the nickel drive, which ran from Oct. 17 to Oct. 21, she said. All together, the halls raised $1,121.95.

“The highest donor was Allyn/Clark Hall,” Sanders said. “They donated $216. It was absolutely amazing.”

Haven of Rest Ministries, a homeless shelter in Akron, will receive these funds.

“(The shelter) is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day,” she said. “They serve about five meals a day.”

Thanksgiving Day is no exception.

“All our money is going toward the Thanksgiving dinners they will have,” Sanders said.

The high amount of funds collected will make dinner available to each person for $1.84. Seven hundred people usually eat Thanksgiving dinner at this shelter, Sanders said, and the money raised by the halls will feed 607 people.

“We’re very, very thankful with the efforts that they went through to make this donation – that they would be so kind to think of us” said Reverend Ben Walker, executive director of Haven of Rest Ministries.

Walker said the holiday season is discouraging to many homeless people, and he said he hopes this dinner will raise their spirits.

“There is turkey and dressing and all the trimmings,” he said. “It’s just a good time of fellowship and enjoying the holiday together.”

The pop tabs collected by 14 residence halls from Oct. 24 to Oct. 28 will help the Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland, Sanders said. The money from the pop tabs will go to help the hungry and people suffering from the pain of dialysis.

Prentice Hall came in first, collecting 49,140 pop tabs.

Overall, Sanders said she is impressed with the turn out in both events this year.

“We did the wars last year,” she said. “But we did ten times better this year.”

Contact room and board reporter Stephanie Park at [email protected].