Cans raise money for Habitat

By Jessica Paulsen
Cardinal Staff

The Student Activities Committee and Habitat for Humanity are working together on Cans for a Cause, a fundraising project involving the collection of aluminum cans.

Cans for a Cause ties in with a Habitat for Humanity program called “Aluminum Cans Build Habitat for Humanity Homes.” If the Saint Mary’s University and Winona State University chapters of Habitat can collect their combined goal of 5,000 pounds of cans (one pound is about 30 cans), they will receive a $5,000 grant for the Winona County affiliate.
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The goal must be met by the end of December to receive the grant. Even if the goal isn’t met, the affiliate will still receive money from the recycling company. Winona County Habitat for Humanity “could use the money to buy land [or] buy supplies,” said junior Angela Buck, co-president of Habitat for Humanity.

Senior Abby Zimmer, co-leader of Cans for a Cause, said they have collected about 2,000 pounds so far and have a bit of friendly competition planned to try to create more incentive for students to contribute.

One of those events will be in cooperation with Winona State. The schools will face-off in a basketball game on Nov. 17, and a “can war” is being set up for that day. “It’s always good to have a little competition with things to get people really involved,” said Zimmer.

SAC ordered special bins for the cans, which members from Habitat for Humanity collect. “They are ours,” said Buck. “We are responsible for everything about the cans.” The cans are collected every Sunday and Thursday and taken every other week to Matejka Recycling, who keeps track of the number of pounds collected.

Sophomore William Duffert, co-leader of the program, is “happy with the way things are going” and wants to see it continue. “For as long as I am on the [Habitat for Humanity] executive board, Cans for a Cause will be around,” said Duffert. “Hopefully it will be an annual thing long after I’m gone as well.”

Cans for a Cause will begin again in January, but different campus organizations can apply to SAC to get the cans for fundraising every other month. That organization would then be in charge of everything about the program for that month.

There are 45 Cans for a Cause bins around the SMU campus. The bins are located in the recycling rooms in dorms, on every floor of Saint Mary’s Hall, Toner Student Center, Hoffman Hall, and near the RAC.