No one understood what Ruth Hana was doing when she dove into a dumpster to retrieve cans, only to pull off the tabs and discard the cans back into the bin. At 91, it was rather odd. But nobody suspected that Ruth's tab collection would save lives.
When Ruth Hana rummaged through the trash and leaped into dumpsters without hesitation, onlookers were puzzled about her intentions. Ruth wasn't homeless, and the residents knew who she was. However, no one thought to stop and ask the elderly lady what she was up to. They would soon find out.
Ruth was 91 years oldRuth was 91 and unaffected by the stares and judgments of others. She had been alone for much of her life and was accustomed to lascivious looks. Yet, she oddly appreciated her solitary years growing up. Something different, and Ruth wouldn't have been the person diving into dumpsters... for a good reason?!
Every day, the old lady made it her mission to sift through the garbage as much as possible. She hoped to find cans (soup, soda, or other food items) with tabs. No one knew why Ruth was so determined to find tabs, and she didn't please them with the "why" since no one asked her the question.
She was old but wasn't just going to sit aroundThis wasn't a new development. For years, city dwellers had watched Ruth jump into bins, rummaging through other people's trash. They were astounded, some even disgusted. Ruth didn't care about their judgment because she knew what she was doing and why. The tabs were crucial.
Even though Ruth knew what she was doing was important and that it would pay off eventually, it didn't stop people from giving her disapproving looks. Some didn't hesitate to say, "You're too old to be doing stuff like this." Such comments made Ruth shake her head: being old didn't mean she had to sit around all day doing nothing.
Her mission didn't stopEventually, Ruth left her home to move into a nursing home. The place was nice, and the staff were understanding when the old lady brought her large tab collection. She was glad they allowed her to keep her collection, even though having something so bulky in her room was prohibited.
Although the nursing home was comfortable, Ruth was sad that she couldn't go out. She missed her freedom. Just because she was confined to the property didn't mean she was going to give up her mission. Every day, she rummaged through the trash and collected more and more tabs.
Ruth had collected a million tabsAt the end of each day, Ruth sat in her room and counted the tabs she had collected, storing them in boxes, jars, and other containers she kept. Just like the passersby in town, people in the nursing home were perplexed by Ruth's fascination with these tabs. The old lady was eager to reach a million tabs.
When she finally found the last tab to add to her collection, everyone in the nursing home gathered to witness her success. Even as they applauded her, the audience was more than eager to learn the purpose behind this collection.
But Ruth didn't disclose what her enormous collection was for or why she had gone through all the trouble to find the tabs. It had taken years, and she wasn't going to boast about it. But after all the judgments and mean looks, Ruth had finally completed her mission and was ready to give away the tabs.
All she did was smile at her collection. Then, she went to her room, put on her shoes and jacket. Next, she asked the staff if they could help her load all those boxes onto the nursing home's bus.
The staff didn't hesitate to helpThe staff were eager to assist Ruth, if only because the clutter would finally disappear. But they were still curious: why, after all this time, did Ruth want to get rid of the tabs? It seemed that these pieces of metal were important to the lady. Why throw them away? Once all the tabs were loaded, Ruth handed a piece of paper to the driver.
There was an address, and soon the old woman's mission would come to an end. Accompanied by two staff members, the driver headed to the specified address, wondering what awaited them once they arrived.
The Ronald McDonald FoundationThe driver stopped in front of a large building. Everyone wondered what they were going to do at this place, bewildered. Well, everyone except Ruth. She had an appointment and knew they were expecting her. It was then that a man in a suit walked through the entrance, headed straight for the bus, and asked if she was Ruth.
He took her hand and said, "Mrs. Hana, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." He was very moved when he saw the number of tabs she had brought with her. Ruth was donating her entire collection to the Ronald McDonald Foundation! The question was: why?
Ruth was an orphanIn the end, it wasn't the first time Ruth had taken matters into her own hands to help those in need. She often donated to charities and helped whenever she could. But the Ronald McDonald Foundation held a special place in the old lady's heart. This charity helped facilitate programs for families and children in need, especially those who were ill.
Ruth loved this organization because of her own childhood. She had grown up as an orphan and had never known the comfort of having someone by her side when she was alone, scared, or sick. Ruth wanted to ensure that no child would feel that way. Thus, she began collecting tabs to help the nonprofit organization.
Giving back to the worldRuth spent her adult life assisting children, a fact that became abundantly clear once back at the nursing home. There, Ruth showed the staff her various certificates and all the thank-you letters she had received over the years. She had made so many donations that the city had even declared a Ruth Hana Day on twelve different occasions?! Nevertheless, Ruth didn't do it for the recognition.
She wanted to make sure children felt as comfortable as possible. She kept the letters in a box under her bed. She wasn't one to boast. Giving back to the community was all Ruth wanted to do, whether people recognized her work or not.
This raises the question: why did Ruth decide to collect a million tabs? How could they help the children? Well, the Ronald McDonald Foundation itself collected the tabs. On their own, the aluminum tabs weren't worth much. But once you gather all the ones Ruth had brought, you get a nice sum. The Ronald McDonald Foundation collects aluminum tabs and takes them to a local recycling plant.
On-site, they exchange them for money. In 2022, the Tab Program generated over 4 million dollars! The money is used for building maintenance costs, support programs, and sponsorship programs.
Tabs are more hygienic than full cansBut the foundation wasn't interested in the whole can or container. They only wanted the tabs because they were more hygienic and easier to store long-term.
Once they had collected enough, the organization would have them weighed to determine their total monetary value. Then, the recycling plant would write them a check on the spot!
"It makes you look beyond yourself..."The nonprofit is well-known. Asked about the Ronald McDonald Foundation, one of the residents at the nursing home where Ruth lived had nothing but praise. For the foundation, but also for the old woman.
He said, "They run solely on volunteers and donations. And when you see all that the Ronald McDonald Foundation accomplishes, you start to look beyond yourself to help others."
"...Looking beyond oneself"The resident spoke of Ruth and her mission, saying, "It gives her something to do. She feels like she's contributing to something important, and that's crucial for an old person to have a purpose in life... a reason."
"When you start to age, it's essential to look beyond yourself." This interview was well-received as the resident's words were full of wisdom and good intentions.
Ruth started something grandAfter discovering that Ruth was collecting tabs for charity, the entire nursing home decided to join her cause. Eventually, everyone started gathering tabs!
An employee stated, "I'm impressed by how this tab business took off. The movement even started outside the community, and I'm glad to see how invested Ruth is. It's given her things to do, and she feels useful."
In a conversation with a Milwaukee news channel, Ruth joked about her days of diving into dumpsters and why she considered it important to give back to the community.
She said, "I know when I used to go to Miller Park, it's quite funny... sometimes, I was about to completely fall into those big bins." Despite this, Ruth knew there was tremendous importance in what she was doing.
She didn't stop after the tabs were given awayEven after donating her collection to the Ronald McDonald Foundation, Ruth didn't stop. After dropping off boxes full of tabs, she resumed rummaging through dumpsters and searching for tabs whenever she had the chance.
Ruth was still very focused on the mission she had set for herself. The elderly woman is a perfect example of simple yet effective actions to help children and families in distress.
"It's not what you earn, it's what you give that counts"Ruth continued the interview, explaining what it was like growing up in an orphanage without having a family. It was one of the reasons why she was so invested in her charitable initiatives.
She said, "Christmas would come, and I'd be crying because I had no one to celebrate the day with. My birthday would come and go, same thing... It's not what you earn, it's what you give that counts."
Ruth found her own familyEven though Ruth had grown up never knowing what it was like to have a family, she has since created her own family. As she had made many very generous donations, the people who benefited from them wanted to meet their guardian angel.
Of course, at first, she was a little hesitant to meet all these people. The old lady was very modest, after all. According to Ruth, "The mothers are overwhelmed. They are a bit like my family."
More frequent donationsWith Ruth's focused attitude and the help of other nursing home residents, she was able to collect even more tabs. All this assistance allowed Ruth to make much more frequent donations to the Ronald McDonald Foundation.
Needless to say, no one was going to look at Ruth oddly when she leaped into a dumpster in search of cans?! And, who knows, maybe some would even join her!
This man saved pennies for 45 years before finally cashing them in - The total amount is staggeringThe staff at Rustin Origin Bank in Rustin, Louisiana, United States, will probably never forget the day in October 2015 when Otha Anders walked into their branch to make a cash deposit. Why? Because Otha Anders wasn't making an ordinary deposit. He was making a deposit of a few cents. A LOT of pennies.
We all have loose pennies lying around in our drawers that we don't know what to do with. Sometimes we keep them at the bottom of our wallet or in our pocket, hoping to use them to buy our next loaf of bread. What Otha Anders did will seem much more incredible to you!
In fact, Otha Anders had amassed so many pennies that to transport and finally deposit them at the bank, he had to resort to a truck. And to bring them into the bank premises, he had to use a cart and a wheelbarrow!
This incredible operation also required the help of five friends and close family members to transport the infamous loot. The coins were stored in 15 large water bottles, each with a capacity of almost 19 liters!
Notifying the bankWell aware that his coin reserve was out of the ordinary, Otha Anders had doubts about whether the bank would accept this rather unusual deposit. He had thus contacted the bank in advance to inform them.
In an interview with ABC News, the bank's chief vice president, Ryan Kilpatrick, shared the surprise he felt that day. He said, "It's amazing, of course. I would say he did a lot of saving over the years."
The origin of his collectionNow around 70 years old, Otha Anders had decided, 45 years ago, to start saving the few small pennies that came his way. As for the very first coin he saved, it was a coin he found on the ground.
In his interview with the News-Star in 2015, Otha Anders said, "I acquired the belief that finding a lost or discarded coin was an additional motivation given by God to remind me to always be grateful."
Forced to end his collection"There were days when I didn't pray, and most of the time, a small lost or fallen coin would show up to remind me," Otha Anders continued. For years, the man had been happy to keep the pennies in his Ruston home.
But in 2015, he learned that the total value of all these accumulated pennies over the years exceeded the amount covered by his homeowners' insurance, so it was time to take them to the bank for safekeeping.
Getting helpOtha Anders had previously worked for the Jackson city school board as a supervisor in charge of students who were sent to detention after school. The man had a good relationship with the students, and they were aware of the supervisor's unique collection.
He recalls that the children would set aside their small change, and he would buy it from them to add to his collection. "But I never let anyone, not even my wife or my children, give me coins without giving something in return," he recalls.
Spirit of competitionOtha Anders pointed out that his old buddy Jack "Domino Kid" Brown had particularly helped him save his small coins. "Jack saved 5-cent pieces like I saved 1-cent pieces, and every five-cent piece that passed through my hands, I set it aside for him. He did the same with the pennies for me," recalls the avid collector.
"Our exchange became competitive, and we each tried to outdo the other and therefore our collections. His 5-cent pieces and my 1-cent pieces began to multiply." But Otha had no idea how much...
Over the years, Otha Anders accumulated pennies, and this small pastime eventually became a true habit. Eventually, his new habit of collecting coins almost became a sweet addiction.
"If I was at someone's house and found a 1-cent coin, I would pick it up and keep it. I always told the person that if it was a 25-cent coin, I would give it back, but since it was just a penny, I kept it," he told The News-Star.
StrategyIn fact, Otha Anders had even stopped spending his pennies in order to save more to enrich his ever-growing collection. He had even tried to arrange his expenses so that he always had a few pennies left in his change at the end of his shopping trips.
After a while, spending a penny became a real obsession. "I wouldn't spend a penny. I'd rather break a dollar bill than give up a penny," Otha Anders said.
A too precious collectionFurthermore, this extraordinary collection of pennies brought Otha Anders both a sense of satisfaction and pleasure. His penny collection had become truly important to him, and he refused to part with it.
Even when the US government offered a $25 bonus for every $100 in pennies returned in the 1970s, Otha Anders didn't hesitate. He clung to his precious 1-cent coins.
An incredible collectionBut all good things must come to an end, and in October 2015, Otha had to deposit his coins at the bank. When the time came to finally let go of his numerous coins, transporting them to the bank was truly an ordeal.
Otha Anders's incredible penny collection was estimated, hold on tight, to weigh around 1200 kilograms! To give you an idea of what that figure represents, it's more than the weight of an average American bison!
Trial after trialOnce the 15 water bottles were filled with the coins collected by Otha, he and some close relatives brought the precious loot to the bank. Transporting all that weight was already a challenge in itself.
But the next challenge was to efficiently remove them from their plastic containers. And it turned out that the quickest way to do it was... well, to take an ax and destroy the containers! Who said subtlety always pays off?
Calling in technologyThen, once the pennies arrived at the bank and were retrieved from the fifteen plastic bottles, the next mission of counting the total amount of coins could begin.
It's not surprising that this was done with machines capable of automatic counting. After all, nobody would want to be tasked with mentally counting over 1200 kilograms of pennies! Plastic buckets were used to pour the coins into the counting machines.
A very lengthy processBut even with the automatic counters, it took a whopping five hours of continuous counting for the machines to finish counting all the coins! Otha Anders watched silently as the buckets were emptied into the machines.
The machines swallowed the many coins the man had saved over 45 years. Amazing but true, the bank staff had to change the dispenser bags every 20 minutes or so, as each could hold a maximum of 50 pennies!
Finally, the machines managed to count all of Otha Anders' penny collection. The moment of truth had arrived. What was the final value of all the pennies that Otha Anders had collected for over 45 years? The answer is impressive: $5,136.14, no more and no less!
In total, Otha Anders had collected 513,614 1-cent coins over 45 years, or 16,425 days. This means that on average, he collected about 31 cents per day. Here was a man who certainly followed the expression "if you see a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck." And his "luck" represented five thousand dollars.
Reluctant decisionIn fact, Otha Anders admitted that if it hadn't been for the homeowners insurance issue, he would have continued to set aside pennies. What had started as a simple habit had become almost an OCD.
"I wanted to fill five 19-liter water jugs. That was my goal, but I couldn't stop. If I hadn't turned them in yesterday, I wouldn't have stopped," he told ABC News. Did Otha Anders hold a record in this regard?
A similar story in China...In reality, Otha Anders is not the only one who loves to accumulate coins in an excessive manner. Indeed, in 2015, the BBC did a feature on the amazing way a Mr. Gan bought a new car in Shenyang, a city in northeastern China.
Yes, Mr. Gan made the purchase with 660,000 coins and 20,000 bills, each worth one yuan, or about 16 cents! Furthermore, his reserve of small change weighed almost 4 tons, a truly astonishing figure!
... And again in the United States!Again in the United States, Ira Keys also liked to save his money. In 2015, at 81 years old, he brought his collection of small coins to Prosperity Bank in Slaton, Texas. There were no less than 220 kilograms of coins, worth $816.
During an interview with NBC's KCBD channel, the senior said his father had told him, "Whatever you do, son, save your money." And Ira Keys had followed his father's advice by starting to save in 1952!
Putting his money to good useBut back in Louisiana, in Ruston: how was Otha Anders going to spend his hard-earned $5,000 over all those years? A wild weekend in Las Vegas? A luxury Rolex watch? Maybe a gold bar or two?
You might be disappointed to find out that the truth is far less sensational. Otha Anders had recently undergone expensive dental treatment (but are there any dental treatments that aren't expensive?), and the money ended up paying the bill!
But Otha Anders is not the only one to have made a name for himself through small change. A young teenager also made a name for himself when he was publicly humiliated by a restaurant for paying his bill in small change that he had saved for several months. However, this humiliation led him to something extraordinary! Discover the incredible story of Cohen Naulty without further ado!
Everyone enjoys treating themselves from time to time to a meal out. We all work hard throughout the week, and what better way to spend our hard-earned money than by indulging in a lavish meal? But there are various etiquette rules about how to behave and pay in a restaurant, and getting it wrong can lead to great embarrassment.
One establishment was particularly critical about its customer's payment method and decided to make it public. But they soon realized that the story didn't end there, and the truth made headlines in newspapers around the world.
An ordinary childLike any ordinary high school student, 17-year-old Cohen Naulty from Lynchburg, Virginia, works hard to get good grades and have fun with his friends. Nevertheless, Naulty also has his own ambitions, and he has known since he was young that he wants to be independent and make the most of his life.
So it's no surprise to his parents when Naulty decides to take a part-time job and earn some money for himself. Nonetheless, no one knew that the way Naulty had decided to spend his money would eventually make headlines around the world.
Like any teenager or young adult, even though Naulty was an incredibly hardworking kid, he also wanted to be able to go out and have fun with his friends. With his job at Country Cookin, he was now earning a decent wage and could afford to treat himself and his friends to a meal at a nice restaurant.
Naulty and his friends went out for a meal, looking forward to a delicious meal and some good times. But none of them had any idea of the drama that was about to unfold.
Feeling GenerousNaulty and his friends had a great time at the restaurant, enjoying delicious food and relishing the chance to spend quality time together. One of the best feelings in the world is being surrounded by your best friends, laughing and talking while enjoying a good meal.
But at the end of the meal, things were about to take an unexpected turn. Since Naulty had worked so hard and earned his own money, he decided to use his earnings in an unexpected and surprising way that his friends would never see coming.
It's on Me!After Naulty and his friends finished their dinner, it was time to ask for the bill. When the bill arrived, Naulty's friends were surprised by the surprise that he had secretly prepared for them. Naulty displayed an unparalleled generosity by paying the bill for all his friends!
Despite his friends' many efforts to contribute to paying the entire bill, he wouldn't hear of it and treated everyone to their exceptional meal. But unbeknownst to them, Naulty's incredible generosity was about to cause real problems...
Shock and OutrageEven though Naulty only intended to try to do a nice thing for his friends, his actions caused quite a stir in the restaurant – and not for a good reason. After Naulty and his friends settled the bill and left, the restaurant staff looked at his payment in horror.
Once the shock subsided, many of them started expressing their annoyance and anger. They couldn't believe what this customer had done! But what was so terrible about the payment method chosen by Naulty?
Little by LittleDespite Naulty's generosity, the restaurant strongly opposed what he had done – or rather, the method he chose to do it. In reality, Naulty had paid the entire bill using an unconventional method.
He didn't pay with a credit card or leave a few $20 bills; instead, he used a much more unusual choice of money. Naulty had paid the entire bill using only 25-cent coins! With stacks and stacks of coins to count to reach the total amount of the bill, the staff was displeased with the customer's behavior.
UnimpressedThe restaurant staff was incredibly annoyed by this rude customer's decision to pay the entire bill with next to nothing. Did they have any idea how much time it would take to count all those stacks of coins, and the difficulty and meticulousness involved in making sure they had the right amount?
For a busy restaurant, this was a massive inconvenience, and they felt that this customer hadn't taken that into account when paying. So, they decided to take action, and it had some huge consequences.
Going PublicIncredibly annoyed by how this inconsiderate customer had treated them, the restaurant decided to air their grievances on their social media page, publicly declaring how irritating and rude they found it.
"We're just going to caption this 'How NOT to pay at a restaurant' because that's the nicest thing we can think to say about this ridiculous incident," they wrote in the caption. They also added angry hashtags, saying things like "We are Beer 88, not Coinstar" and "No Home Training." The comments rolled in, but not in the way the restaurant expected...
While many people agreed with the message, stating that it was indeed rude and annoying to pay so much change, the majority of the commenters were in defense of the initial customer.
Numerous individuals simply lamented the staff's attitude of publicly shaming a customer just because he chose an unpopular payment method at the restaurant. After all, he had paid the right amount... But among the many commentators and interveners, nobody had the slightest idea of the unexpected reaction that was about to occur.
SilencedAs the Facebook discussion continued, another post appeared on the social media site, eclipsing all others. It was Cohen Naulty himself, who had seen the restaurant's post about his choice of payment and wanted to speak out about his thoughts.
"He took a few friends to lunch and only had enough to pay for their meals with 25-cent coins," he wrote in the post. "Although it was enough for the meal and a good tip, the restaurant attacked me on Facebook for paying in 25-cent coins."
Hard TimesNaulty then described how he felt after this hurtful post, publicly shamed after trying to do something nice for his friends. "It wasn't a good day," Naulty said frankly.
Imagine wanting to be generous, only for it to backfire. Not only are you criticized for how you did it, but that criticism appears in a public forum! For Naulty, this tough experience marked the beginning of a beautiful story. "Then I got a great idea," he continued in the post.
Paying it ForwardSo, what was Naulty's great idea after being publicly humiliated for his coin counting? Surprisingly, Naulty's experience inspired him to be more generous in a way that no one could have expected.
"I love paying for people's meals," he wrote. "Even if I have to gather my last few coins to do it." "It all made me realize how much I love doing it and why," he added. "Even if people make fun of me for it!"
RedemptionThe reason Naulty chose to pay the bill in 25-cent coins wasn't just to be disruptive or deliberately bother the restaurant staff. The real reason was that Naulty, himself a hardworking server, always received 25-cent tips.
Through his remarkable work ethic, he had received tons of tips – that's how he ended up with such a large collection of coins. Not only did Naulty have an incredibly good reason for his decision, but he decided to take his kindness to the next level.
Spreading LoveThe treatment Naulty received didn't deter him from going out to eat again! Naulty was no ordinary kid – in fact, this experience inspired him to do even more good things for others.
"I decided to find restaurants that didn't mind being paid in 25-cent coins and treat a customer at least once a week," he wrote. "Just to see what this simple act of kindness could bring them." But how was he going to do it?
Big PlansIt was a wonderful and generous idea to try to invite people to dinner just out of the kindness of his heart, and no doubt Naulty certainly wanted to do good with his idea. The issue was that he was just a high schooler with a part-time job as a server.
How could he afford to pay for everyone's dinner all the time? But for someone as determined as Naulty, he knew he would find a way. Naulty eventually found the perfect idea...
Even though he knew he could never afford to offer meals to everyone out of kindness, he had a brilliant idea to help raise funds to continue this extraordinary gesture for more and more people.
He set up an online donation system so that people could contribute from wherever they were, hoping that someone in need of a free meal could benefit from Naulty's great idea. It seemed to be a brilliant project! But there was only one condition...
Challenge AcceptedNaulty set up his fundraising in the hope that people from everywhere would contribute to help pay for other people's meals. The success of this brilliant idea was subject to one condition for choosing the restaurants to go to. Can you guess it?
That's right, they had to accept coins! Since his initial gesture of paying for his friends' dinners was done in 25-cent coins – and that's how he often earns his money – he wanted to find restaurants that wouldn't judge him for this.
A Big SumNaulty's goal was to raise enough funds to be able to pay for a few extra people's meals. Having already treated his friends to a lavish dinner, he wanted to have the chance to bring this treat and act of kindness to other people in some way.
He had hoped for some generous donations from other people, but the extent of the funds ultimately raised completely blew him away. He didn't expect that much support. But how much money did Naulty actually raise with this project?
A Wealth of MoneyNaulty's commitment paid off as his fundraising efforts managed to collect a huge sum of money. With all the donations received from people around the world, inspired by Naulty's acts of kindness and his willingness to continue helping others, the total amount of donations reached a massive sum of over $5,000.
Wow! $5,000 would certainly be enough to pay for quite a few meals, wouldn't it? And this incredible demonstration of others' generosity was just the beginning of this domino effect of kindness triggered by Naulty's actions.
Getting InvolvedMore and more restaurants quickly caught wind of Naulty's venture, and more and more people were moved by his inspiring story of finding kindness in a difficult situation.
To his great surprise and delight, he began to receive offers from many different restaurants, saying they would be more than happy to receive their full bill in just a few quarters. Naulty was astonished. He had no idea that his simple idea of a few acts of kindness would reach such heights. But one restaurant was about to go even further, exceeding all expectations.