Every bit of money — whether it is large bills or fistfuls of change — collected by student organizations during the last canning weekend will fund the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

After a typical day of canister solicitation, or "canning," Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, 321 E. Fairmount Ave., and Zeta Tau Alpha sorority sort their donations into piles of bills and cans of change, said Jessica Snavely, Zeta Alpha Tau Thon chair.

The 15 to 30 cans of change collected by that fraternity and sorority each canning weekend, along with a large container of cash, are deposited.

The organizations then write a check for their amount to Thon's overall committee.

Alpha Tau Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha's method of giving canning collections to Thon is not widely used by most organizations, Snavely said.

Instead, most organizations turn their bills and change directly into Thon's Finance Committee.

On 9 p.m. the Monday after canning weekend, Thon Chairs of most organizations bring their change and bills, sorted into separate containers, to 218 HUB-Robeson Center.

The 11 Thon financial captains use three coin machines and two bill machines to count the total donations of each group, said Eddie Itenberg, Thon overall finance chair.

They usually finish counting the money by 11 p.m., although depending on how many counting machines are working and how many groups went canning, the process sometimes drags on until Tuesday.

"If we roll over into Tuesday, we usually end at noon," Itenberg said.

Itenberg would not say how much Thon raises in an average canning weekend, citing security measures as his reasoning.

Alpha Tau Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha, who send about 70 people canning to raise money for Thon during each designated weekend, earn between $15,000 and $30,000 on average, Snavely said.

Last year, Alpha Tau Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha were Thon's top money earners.

"Canning weekends are definitely where we do the best," Snavely said.

A small organization such as the Schreyer Honors College, which senta group of three people on the last canning trip, collected about $300 in one day, Jodi Washinsky (junior-microbiology) said.

More than 275 organizations are estimated to be participating in this year's Thon, said Patty Hoffmann, public relations chair.

Once Thon's financial captains collect all money after a canning weekend, they give it to Associated Student Activities, a group that handles the Thon account.