It’s called Penny Wars, and for the past three days, it pitted student organizations against each other in friendly competition to collect as many pennies as possible and display their love for NC State. The event was part of Red and White Week, five days of school pride and festivities leading up to Saturday’s homecoming football game.

Penny Wars took place early this week, from Monday Oct. 29 to Wednesday Oct. 31.

“I like how we get to be a part of the homecoming community and show Wolfpack pride,” said Ellison Lambert, a fourth-year studying parks, recreation & tourism management.

Penny Wars was established in 2015 as a part of Red and White Week by the NC State Alumni Association. In 2016, the event raised almost $2,160 just through the spare change found in students’ pockets. By working together, students and faculty helped make this event what it is today.

Every year, a new organization is chosen to get the pennies collected. For Penny Wars 2018, the Student Alumni Association will be donating the amount of money raised to the Student Emergency Fund, which is a campus organization meant to help students that have experienced an unexpected financial crisis. These donations will help provide these students with priority needs and academic supplies. This allows all students, no matter what financial status, to be successful at NC State. Between the Alumni Association’s Penny Wars event and Students for University Advancement’s Blood Connection event, the combined goal for these fundraisers was $4,000.

Whichever student organization accumulates the most loose change is considered the winner. The winner retains bragging rights until the following year.

Penny Wars is considered an important event for many students across campus, whether they benefit from the donations or are experiencing this event for the first time. Many students come around to Penny Wars, either to help with or to participate in the event.

“We get to interact with a lot of students quickly,” said Kara Mulligan, the assistant director of annual giving.

Giving back to the NC State community is the main goal of Penny Wars and has been for four years now, as mentioned by Lambert.

“I think it’s really important [because] it raises awareness for the students’ emergency fund, so we’re able to help a lot of students in need,” Lambert said.

The students and faculty of various organizations come together to help make this event a success. The main organizations that help run this event are the Students for University Advancement and the Student Alumni Association. A ton of work is put into making an event of this caliber a success.

“[It takes] a lot of organization, good planning skills, time management and a great team to help put it all together,” Lambert said.

Another goal of Penny Wars is to raise awareness of why it’s important to give back to the NC State community. Through these donations, students will be prepared if an unexpected financial crisis comes. By helping to providing these students with the necessary resources, everyone can have the help they need to be successful at NC State University. This event not only shows the power of giving, but also provides a unique way to do so.