In the past years, we'd been asked why we don't collect food/money for donations.  In 2002 we came up with a design for a donation box that would allow for money collection and, at the same time, would house 2 LED matrix display signs.  The signs allow us to show facts about the display, collected donation totals, etc.  Our main concern about collecting money was theft.  We had to design a box that would be virtually vandalism and theft proof.  The following pictures show the final design/construction of our donation box.

This picture shows the overall mess in creating an all steel donation box.

The frame is made of 1" x 1" x 1/8" square hot rolled mild steel tubing. We wanted to ensure that this box was going to be really difficult to steal, or break into, since anything containing money is likely to be stolen!

16 Gauge hot rolled sheet steel was welded onto all sides of the solid frame. A door was created, and welded to Stainless Steel hinges with non removable pins, then welded to the box.  This box weighs enough to counter-balance a bank vault!

The entire box was primed, inside and out, to help resist the harsh winter it faces while sitting by the road.

It was then painted with a black finish paint, both inside and out. A plywood shelf was installed to support 2 Scrolling LED Displays along with a power outlet.  This outlet provides power for the displays.

Brackets are placed on the sides so the box can be bolted to the 8 foot fence posts that are pounded 4 feet into the earth. The displays are concealed behind 3/4" thick plexi-glass, virtually bullet-proof!

This picture shows the rear of the box.  It consists of a bar running the entire  height of the box, with a padlock at the bottom to secure the bar.  This bar locks the entire door, so if the hinges are somehow cut, entry is still impossible.

This side view shows the connections to the fence posts, which are only removable by opening the door first!

The overall finished product.  The slot under the displays is where donations can be placed, although some found that the fence posts were a good place to insert their change!