RALEIGH – Frank Garland, a maintenance technician from Morganton, plans to use the $369,833 prize he won playing Carolina Cash 5 to invest and save for his grandchildren’s college fund.

Garland matched all five numbers in the Oct. 27 drawing. He learned of his win on Monday when he checked his numbers on the lottery’s website.

“I was sitting at home looking at the computer,” said Garland, who beat odds of 1 in 575,757 to win the jackpot. “I just checked the numbers over and over. I kept thinking ‘I finally hit it. This feels good’.”

Garland also plans to use his winnings, worth $251,486 after state and federal taxes were withheld, to take an Alaskan cruise with his wife. He purchased his lucky ticket at the Midway Mart on U.S. 64 in Morganton.

Garland said that even before the big win his favorite game to play was Carolina Cash 5.

“It’s better odds than some of the other games,” Garland said. “Plus, it’s just North Carolina playing it, so you’re not up against all those other states.”

As of September 2013, the lottery has raised more than $3 billion to support education programs. Lottery dollars support teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction and repair projects, prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, college scholarships and financial aid based on need and digital learning initiatives.

To see how more than $24.1 million in lottery dollars have made a difference in Burke County, go to the Where the Money Goes webpage at http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/beneficiary.aspx.