Scrapping Metal for a Charitable Cause
By / On / In Scientific Tests
I was trying to think of a way that the kids in my Sunday school class could help others. Since we wanted to help other children not in our area, it was going to require money. I wanted them to have an active part in earning the money themselves so they would understand the concept of charity even better. I asked them for some suggestions, and one said collecting soda cans. I thought that was a great idea, so I did some research to see how much scrap aluminium per pound was paying at that time.
While it was not enough to make a fortune, it was definitely one of the ways that each child could contribute. We learned what cans are aluminum and which aren't. We also learned which cans can be recycled for cash even if they are not aluminum. This got us started in understanding more about our parts in being stewards of the earth as well. Rather than throw cans in the garbage to fill landfills, they were going to start collecting them from their family members as well as neighbors and friends. We got a large bin to put behind the church so they could drop in their cans.
Something really great happened with this project. When the community found out that we were going to give the money so other children in the world could have clean water and food, they all started bringing their cans. We collected so many, and I had to make several trips to the scrap metal yard that was paying the most per pound. I was able to find this out by looking online at a website that had all of the local scrap yards as well as their prices for different kinds of scrap metals. The kids were amazed at how much money they were actually able to collect this way, and it has been an ongoing project since its inception!
