Coin star: Man donates $21,495 in loose change to charity

A Florida man who has collected more than $21,000 in loose change over the past 10 years has donated it to charity.

Rick Snyder, of Bradenton, Fla., says he found the bulk of the coins (and bills) during his daily four-hour walks, digging them out of vending machines and car wash vacuums.

"It astounds me how wasteful people are," Snyder, who owns a 48-unit condominium complex, told the Bradenton Herald. (He also collects discarded towels — washing and donating them to shelters — and plastic bottles for recycling.)

Snyder estimates he walks between 45 and 48 miles per week, finding, on average, $5.60 a day. The change — all 2,500 pounds of it — went to the Gulf Shore Animal League, which takes care of feral cats — something else Snyder sees on his walks.

"I've been taking care of feral cats for years and I started noticing a lot of change laying around," he said. "So I started picking it up and keeping track of it."

Snyder estimates he's found homes for about 100 cats, placing many of them with tenants in the condo units.

"People do avoid me now if they see me coming," he joked.

The rescue group said Snyder's $21,495 donation is the largest it's ever received from an individual.

“This is just over the top,” Cheryl Wade, president of the Gulf Shore Animal League, told Bay News 9. “It will help so many animals in our community.”

So why didn't Snyder keep the money for himself?

"I have enough money," he replied.