Ten years ago, Dick Wagstaff and his buddies raised more than $40,000 for Douglas County Senior Services.

Last year, they took in about $6,000. This year’s take could be as little as $3,000.

“We need to get the word out on what we do,” he said. “If we don’t, I’m afraid a good program is going to get hurt, and we don’t want that.”

Every Friday morning, Wagstaff and Lew Phillips, Paul Getto, Dick Haun, Bob Piller and Maurice Joy  all members of the Noon Rotary Club  meet at the Dillons store at Sixth Street and Lawrence Avenue, where they spend two hours taping coupons to the backs of different products.

At the checkout counter, customers have the option of donating the coupons’ would-be savings to Douglas County Senior Services.

“People see the coupon, but they don’t know what it’s for,” Wagstaff said, indicating that efforts to keep shoppers informed about the program had faltered during the years.

On an average Friday, Wagstaff says the six-man crew distributes between 2,000 and 3,000 coupons donated by people who receive them from various sources but don’t want to use them.

The coupons are collected, clipped and sorted at Douglas County Senior Services, 745 Vt.

“We need more coupons,” said Getto, who picks up the coupons every Thursday afternoon at the senior center.

Coupons  especially advertising packets left over from Sunday editions of the Journal-World  may be left in the “red mailbox” to the left of the Douglas County Senior Services’ front door. The outdoor box is accessible to donors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“This is such a painless way for people to give  we’d really like to see the word get out because, believe me, a dollar here and a dollar there, it all adds up pretty quick,” said Jessie Lusher, executive director at Douglas County Senior Services.

Most of the money raised is used to support the program’s transportation and in-home meals programs, Lusher said.

“The fact that these guys are there (Dillons) every Friday morning is just awesome,” she said. “I can’t say enough good things about them. We thank Dillons, too.”