Well they don't produce them anymore but if a bank has some rolls or bags of them that haven't been sent for destruction yet I see no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to give`em to coin people so those people can save the ones that matter and don't belong getting destructed at all. They have coin counter machines that you just need to put the pennies (and other denominations in) and you get all there face value when your done, those pennies are the ones nobody can get to because they arnt in any rolls or anything the teller could give them to you (in).
Why would they not give them out? because a certain customer who collects coins doesn't give them chocolate? or other things? What that tells me is that they really are allowed to do so and can do it when ever they want, you just apparently need to some how buy them some chocolate without making it look like your only doing it so you can get them to get you pennies which they should just do in the first place. john100, your comment makes me think... and with the last comment I'm having a brain storm.