Information is seen June 29 regarding the cash guessing opportunity to support a local charity at Farmington House of Pizza in Farmington. The owner has challenged other businesses to do something similar this summer. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

FARMINGTON — A local business owner has come up with a fun way to support a local organization.

Vasilios Maniatakos, owner of Farmington House of Pizza has placed a large bucket of change in the restaurant with a sign encouraging patrons to take a guess on what it amounts to.  A container is available nearby to leave the person’s name, contact information, amount guessed and the charity to be supported. The person guessing the closest to the actual value will see the cash donated to that charity.

The last time Maniatakos weighed the bucket, it weighed 95 pounds, he told The Franklin Journal on June 11. “My birthday is next month, I will probably draw the name then,” he noted. “I am trying to get my mom to match it.”

Mom Roula Maniatakos is the former owner of the restaurant, has donated to the Franklin County Animal Shelter in the past. She will probably donate there if she decides to match it, Vasilios Maniatakos said.

He posted information about the guessing opportunity on Facebook, writing, “So I posted a couple days ago about donating my change bucket. I wasn’t expecting to get so many replies. I talked with family and they said I should change the rules a little bit. If you don’t know my family owns the Farmington House of Pizza. I’m going to put the bucket next to the register . . . for people to guess for how much it will cash out to, and what charity they want it to be donated to. I promise 100% will go to charity.

Between posting here, my personal page and customers, I might have to break up the donation in to three equal parts. I just wanted to be 100% transparent. This isn’t a scam. This community has been amazing to me and my family. I’m actually trying to get Mom to match whatever the total is. And I’m going to challenge all local businesses to set up their own bucket. So let’s raise as much money as possible for some good causes.”

Vasilios Maniatakos is seen June 11 with a bucket of change at Farmington House of Pizza in Farmington. He plans to donate the change to the charity chosen by the person who comes closest to guessing its total value. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

“I am trying to get as many places as possible to get in on it,” Maniatakos stated on June 11. “It would be kind of fun. I would like to keep it local. Obviously there are great causes out there.”

When asked why he chose to offer this means of support, Maniatakos replied, “Life has been pretty good, I thought it would be a nice thing to do. Something good for the community.”

Employee Terri Simpson stated, “He said ‘Life has been good, I am doing well right now. It would be nice to give it to someone who needed it.'”

Vasilios Maniatakos said he did something similar previously with quarters and dimes. “This time everything is in it,” he noted. “I just counted it up. It is a good chunk. I have been collecting it at least a couple of years. I tossed my change in it every night.”