Silk stockings which can no longer be worn are being collected in stores throughout the country for conversation into powder bags which propel the projectile in big naval and coast defense guns, December, 1942. With so many commodities in short supply, the government not only rationed them but also campaigned to save and reuse vital materials. People collected scrap paper so it could be used for packing around equipment and weapons. All kinds of metal was collected so it could be recycled and made into bombs. Engine grease was saved. The government needed copper for war material and minted pennies from zinc-coated steel in 1943. Towns had paper drives, rubber drives, and scrap metal drives. The drives generated a strong sense of community and a patriotic feeling that everyone was helping in the war effort. The actual savings from these drives is difficult to measure.