By Betty Beier
Health programs volunteer

Ever come home from a trip out of the country with loose change? Sure, you can trade foreign paper money back to dollars (for a fee), but what to do with all those coins when you know you'll probably never go back to Estonia? 

I love to travel and I've found that some airports have donation containers for loose change to support various charities. But I recently found a terrific solution for when I don't connect with one: The UNICEF Change for Good program.

That's when I donated about ten years worth of travel coinage that I'd stashed away hoping some day to find a use for it. (I held back a few coins that looked old or intriguing.) Some countries' coins I donated were not even in use anymore, due to the European changeover to the Euro. 

Since 1991, UNICEF's program has converted $55 million in coins into food and services for children in 150 developing countries. Partner airlines like American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas even allow donations of loose change on-board flights.

If you're not flying one of these airlines, you can do what I did: Pack the coins tightly and mail them directly to: Change for Good Program, US Fund for UNICEF, 333 E. 38th St., New York, NY 10016. The Change for Good Program would love to hear from you.