RALEIGH – Nancy St. John, a sales coordinator from Kinston, plans to use the $200,000 prize she won playing the $200,000 Jackpot game to make some home repairs and help take care of her rescue animals.

“I’ve been rescuing animals for around 30 years now,” St. John said as she collected her winnings on Friday. “People can help themselves, but animals can be helped by people. I currently have a lot of dogs and a few horses. This money will go a long way towards making them more comfortable.”

St. John scratched off the lucky $5 ticket after purchasing it at the Handy Mart on Marine Boulevard in Jacksonville.
After state and federal taxes were withheld, she received a check for $138,401.

“This feels great,“ St. John said as she held her check for the first time. “I’m going to live stress-free for a little while.”

As of Friday afternoon, four more $200,000 top prizes remain to be claimed in the game.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.4 billion for the state. North Carolina Education Lottery net proceeds will be used this year to help pay salaries of teachers and teacher assistants, for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, school construction and repair, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how more than $19 million in lottery funds have made a difference in Lenoir County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.