Small Change, Big Impact at Third Coast Bakery

Stuff We Love

April 11, 2026

Yes, it’s true—pennies are going extinct. The U.S. Mint stopped producing them late last year, which means businesses are having to round totals up or down without the ability to make exact change. But Traverse City’s Third Coast Bakery is planning to turn the penny problem into a sweet solution. They’ve announced that “customers paying cash will have their transaction rounded up to the nearest nickel,” and all those extra cents will go straight toward a special fund for nonprofit Project Feed the Kids. Project Feed the Kids started in the pandemic with a cooler full of food for families in need, and has grown to serve over 3,000 meals per week. Per Third Coast Bakery owner Heather Burson, “The average meal costs $2.50, so it won’t take long for our extra change to snowball into a real difference-maker in our community.” Learn more at thirdcoastbakery.com and projectfeedthekidstc.org.