Blog Action Day: Poverty
Collecting Cans at Wayne State University
Today is a day to blog about poverty, to bring awareness to others, to inspire others to make a difference. Detroit is no stranger to poverty, it is all around us. I wanted to detail what our department has been doing to work simply and locally to help charity programs in and around Detroit.
In the Marketing and Communications office we try to give back when we can. One simple way we do this is by not only recycling paper but also pop cans. Since Michigan has a $.10 deposit it allows us to collect pop bottles in the office and take them in as a group, collecting ~$5 per bag of cans.
We fill up a bag about every three weeks, after a few months a simple email blast to the department to vote and decide on the charity that the money will go to. Easy and simple, thinking of others doesn’t take a lot of work, normal every day tasks can go far.
I have included a list of the recent charities we have given to and an approximate amount we have given. We don’t have records of last year or the year before but we have been doing this for about three years now. We encourage anyone in an office environment to start something like this, instead of having a pizza party for the office why not give it to the people who really need it. I have a feeling you will sleep a little better at night.
This years charities include:
- Fall – ~$75 to Bethel Food Pantry in Southgate, MI
- Summer – ~$25 to The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk at the Detroit Zoo
- Spring – ~$25 to The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries
Last but not least Wayne State University has a program called WayneCares Forgotten Harvest and to date has donated over 600 pounds of food to local area homeless shelters and kitchens.
Pass it on, make a difference.
