For Georgia's St. Simons Island, Pennies for Preservation add up to $1 million

John Deem, Savannah Morning News
Updated ·2 min read
In 2023, $300,000 from the St. Simons Land Trust Pennies for Preservation Program was used to help purchase the nearly 10-acre Gateway Property on the south end of St. Simons Island.
In 2023, $300,000 from the St. Simons Land Trust Pennies for Preservation Program was used to help purchase the nearly 10-acre Gateway Property on the south end of St. Simons Island.

The St. Simons Land Trust has made cents out of fundraising – 100 million of them, to be precise.

The non-profit organization recently announced that it has surpassed $1 million in its Pennies for Preservation (P4P) Program, initiated in 2017 to fund conservation-related land purchases on Georgia’s St. Simons Island.

More than 50 local businesses have raised the funds through voluntary 1% donations on customers’ receipts or by setting aside a penny for every dollar in revenue. Others have offered in-kind and discounted services.

The money has been used to acquire and protect more than 80 acres of “environmentally and culturally significant land” on the barrier island, the organization said.

“In the years to come, my hope is that all local business owners will be moved by the positive impact of these donated pennies for preservation,” said P4P Program Manager and St. Simons Land Trust Communications Director Raleigh Kitchen.  “If $1 million can be raised by 50 businesses, imagine the impact of 100 businesses or more.”

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In 2021, $500,000 of program contributions were used to help provide final funding on what is now the 35-acre Correll Trail at Oatland property on the north end of St. Simons.

Last year, another $300,000 was used to help purchase the nearly 10-acre Gateway Property on the south end of the island.

The remaining $200,000, and any additional program contributions, will be used to help acquire other properties now under evaluation, the organization said.

St. Simons Land Trust will host a community celebration of the milestone from 1-3 p.m. on May 5 at Old Stables Corner, at the northwest corner of Frederica Road and Sea Island Road.

For more information, visit sslt.org .

Pennies for Preservation Program partners include:

Restaurants

  • Barbara Jean’s

  • The Bubble Bar at Two Friends

  • Café Frederica

  • Certified Burgers & Beverage

  • Delaney’s Bistro & Bar

  • Dorothy’s Cocktail & Oyster Bar

  • Dulce Dough

  • Ember Farm to Fire

  • Fuse Frozen Yogurt

  • MAS Lounge

  • Sal’s Neighborhood Pizzeria

  • Sandy Bottom Bagels

Lodging

  • Golden Isles Getaways

  • The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort

  • Hotel Simone

  • Lilmar Properties

  • Little St. Simons Island

  • Sea Island

  • Village Inn and Pub

Retail

  • Island Hot Sauce

  • Maggie’s

  • Pier Village Market

  • St. Simons Bait and Tackle

  • Tree Spirit Candle Company

Galleries

  • Anderson Fine Art Gallery

  • The Gallery on Newcastle

  • Suzy Dmetruk Fine Art

Activities

  • East Beach Yoga

  • Electric Coast

  • Fitted Fairways

  • Moke America St. Simons

Real Estate

  • Golf Club Realty

Media

  • The Brunswick News

  • Elegant Island Living

  • Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau

Services

  • Commonground Creative

  • CPM Event Services

  • Creative Printing

  • Empire Sky Co.

  • Gavin Sellers Creative

  • Lulu Entertainment

  • Maggie Hughes

  • Sam Ghioto Studio

  • Social Compass

  • Travelmation – Heather Honaker

John Deem covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. He can be reached at jdeem@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: $1M supports preservation on Georgia's St. Simons Island