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A Virginia daughter has donated 80,000 pennies, which amounts to $800, to a local shelter after her estranged father dumped the change on her front lawn as his final child support payment.
Avery Sanford, 18, told WTVR that the May 21 incident, caught on home security footage, was embarrassing.
“It’s not just my mom he’s trying to embarrass. It’s also me and my sister, and it’s upsetting that he didn’t consider that before he did that,” Sanford said.
Sanford, a senior in high school and geared up to attend Virginia Tech in the fall, says last month’s incident took place while she was in class, according to NBC 29.
“He pulled up in front of the house and turned the trailer on so it dumped out all the pennies on the grass, and my mom came out and was like, ‘What are you dumping in my yard?’ She didn’t know who it was until he shouted, ‘It’s your final child support payment,’” the teen said.
Sanford and her mom, however, decided to turn a negative situation into one that could benefit others.
They recently donated the 80,000 pennies to Safe Harbor, a shelter located in Richmond that supports survivors of sexual and domestic violence and human trafficking.
“Turning around and donating that money to moms and children in need, like I feel like that just really turns the situation into a positive one,” Stanford said.
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The teen says she has no interest in building a relationship with her father.
“It’s really hurtful and damaging to your kids when you do things like that,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re young or an adult. The actions of your parents will always have some effect on you.”
Her father told the local affiliate station that his emotions got the best of him and the last thing he wanted to do was place an even bigger strain on his relationship with his daughter.