You think that loose change you see on the ground from day to day isn’t worth anything? Think again.

A Manatee County man is proving those abandoned pennies you see from time to time are really worth something.

“I’d like to thank the many who are too lazy to pick up a penny,” said Rick Snyder.

Snyder said he picks up the coins that others leave behind. He said he started doing this year’s ago, while out caring for feral cats around the area.

“I feed feral cats,” said Snyder. “I’ve been doing it a long time. As I was out feeding the cats at the various places I feed them, I would see money laying around. Of course I’d pick it up and I started thinking I should keep track of this.”

Snyder said he became obsessed with how much he could collect. He said on average, he finds, about $5 and 60 cents a day.

Fast forward that 10 years later, and he now has a big chunk of change.

“$10,000 was my first goal and then I hit that and I wasn’t satisfied, said Snyder. “I said I’d keep going so I got to 100-jars and thought well I’ll keep going. $20,000 was my next goal and I exceeded that.”

Rick said he collected around $21,494. But instead of keeping it for himself, he gave it all away.

The man who is passionate about helping cats and finding money is also passionate about helping others.

On Tuesday, he donated the money to the Gulf Shore Animal League, a non-profit organization that helps stray and feral cats in the community.

“This is just over the top,” said Cheryl Wade, President of the Gulf Shore Animal League. “It will help so many animals in our community.”

Wade said they’ll use the money to fund their trap and neuter program to end over population and homelessness of cats.

They will also use it to help care for the kittens who are too young to be adopted. Snyder said he isn’t finished.

He’s already started collecting more change and plans to donate what he finds again in the future.