Noticed these today.

It's a nifty idea to help with the homeless/panhandling issue. The city is adamant about not giving money to panhandlers, so one effort is this:

Meters' change to help homeless

'Denver parking meters are being reincarnated as fundraisers for the homeless, with homeless advocates hoping that passers-by will fill them with the spare change - approximately $4.5 million annually - they now distribute to panhandlers.

The goal is to steer contributions into food and services. Two quarters help pay for a homeless person's public transportation. A $1.50 donation buys one meal. A $20 donation provides a homeless family with one day's worth of food, shelter, clothing and employment help.

Credit for the project goes to Denver Public Works manager Bill Vidal, who read about a similar program in Baltimore. With his staff's help, Vidal retrieved 50 parking meters from what he called "our home for retired parking meters, before they become scrap metal."

Each parking meter can hold about $60 in change. Public-utility workers will collect the cash during their regular bimonthly rounds.

Even before the first of the distinctive red and black parking meters was unveiled on Monday, the project raised $36,000 from 36 businesses and individual sponsors.'