MICHIGAN FIRM COLLECTS EMPTY CARTRIDGES TO FEED THE POOR

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MICHIGAN FIRM COLLECTS EMPTY CARTRIDGES TO FEED THE POOR

collecting printer cartridges to raise money for Food for the Poor
Milan Michigan residents Judy and Gordon Parker have teamed up with the Holy Family Catholic Church in East Tawas to recycle printer cartridges for a good cause.
In association with non-profit Food for the Poor, they haven been selling the cartridges to a local Cartridge World and using the money to send food to needy children in Guatemala and Haiti."There’s just so much need," Judy Parker said, "and this is such a simple way to reach those people."Each cartridge brings in $2, which, through Food for the Poor, sends a 20-pound bag of dried food to one of the countries.Francie Szymanski is head of the operation at the Holy Family Church and has seen their efforts first-hand on a mission trip to Guatemala."There were thousands and thousands of 100 pound bags in a warehouse, all donated from the U.S." she said. "And all it costs us is a little bit of time."

When the program started in 2005, the food was only being sent to Holy Family’s sister mission in Guatemala. But after the earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, they have been alternating their donations between the two nations."This was a project where I saw a way of helping kids in a starving country for no money," Szymanski said.In 2010, the group raised $2,986 from the recycled cartridges and has raised more than $18,000 since 2005.

Food for the Poor reports that one pound of food costs 20 cents, one serving costs 4 cents and two servings a day is enough for a child to survive on. That translates into 8 cents a day to support one child."You don’t have to be rich to do it," Parker said.Szymanksi says their main obstacle now is competition from corporations and other organizations collecting recycled cartridges."When I started this in 2006, no one knew about recycling their cartridges. I just ask people to give their cartridges to us because we are trying to help starving children."

People in the area interested in donating their used printer cartridges can drop them off at the Milan Senior and Community Activity Center at 45 Neckel Court.

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May 5, 2011 at 6:48 AM