In keeping with the season of giving, the state Treasurer's Office issued more than $21,000 in unclaimed assets to four area churches, a foundation and Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam.
State Treasurer John Perdue presented six checks during a ceremony at Teays Valley Presbyterian Church on Tuesday.
"We're honored to be able to return thousands of dollars today to the rightful owners of that unclaimed property," Perdue said.
The largest check - $8,549 - went to the Rev. Lawrence Gallagher Foundation, which provides support for Charleston's St. Agnes Catholic Church. Anita Casey, who sits on the foundation's board, said she didn't know the background of where the money came from.
"The money will be used to support the church when we do repairs, and also to help students at St. Agnes and Charleston Catholic [schools] when they can't afford tuition," Casey said.
Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam also received a sizable check for $4,785, which will go directly toward its Fund for Humanity, Executive Director Shawn Means said.
"We have one expense, and that's building houses for families," Means said. "We sell it to them for no profit and no interest, so they get to be homeowners for usually less than they pay to rent a place."
The mortgage those families pay goes directly back to replenish that fund.
The churches that received checks at the ceremony included Teays Valley Presbyterian, for $1,370; Spirit Life Fellowship in Dunbar for $1,549; The Glorious Church of God in Huntington for $2,980 and Second Presbyterian Church in Huntington for $1,920.
Sources for the funds included dormant stock dividends, mature certificates of deposits and a gas company refund, according to a press release from the Treasurer's Office.
Over the last two months, the Treasurer's Office has returned about $35,000 in unclaimed property to faith-based organizations in Kanawha, Putnam, Cabell, Jackson, Mason and Wood counties, the release says. Field representatives from the office initiated contact with those organizations.
Since July 1, the office has returned $4.6 million in unclaimed property to West Virginia residents and organizations, said Gina Joynes, deputy treasurer of communications.
Unclaimed property is any financial asset separated from its rightful owner, including abandoned safe deposit contents, utility deposits and forgotten final paychecks or bank accounts.
Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.