Crushing metal for a cause
Unwanted metal donated to Nurse Scrap Metal Saturday is about to make a difference for local youth.
The Erskine Ave. business is handing over funds collected from scrap pieces to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough.
It’s part of the company’s Crushing for the Cause fundraising events.
The 62-year-old business launched the fundraising campaign in May, choosing a different charity each month.
The company has already donated funds from scrap metal contributions to the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Autism Ontario.
And this month, they picked Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough.
On Saturday, the local business held a free barbecue to encourage people to donate their unwanted scraps to the cause.
Travis Mathews, manager of Nurse Scrap Metal, said they chose charities that hit close to home.
Mathews’s son has autism and his mom recently battled cancer.
“We took everything that meant something to somebody here and we tried to pay them back,” he said.
While Nurse Scrap Metal’s big event was held Saturday, the company has been collecting cash donations at the office all month.
Nurse also donates the value of any scrap metal that’s been given during the month of August.
Bryan Ditchburn, owner of JunkBee-Gone, has contributed to Nurse’s fundraising efforts every month.
He donated 90 per cent of his trailer load on Saturday.
Ditchburn was pleased to see funds directed to the Canadian Cancer Society recently because he’s got a family member battling the disease.
But in the end, Ditchburn said, he’s happy to support whatever cause Nurse Scrap Metal chooses.
“It’s just to give back to the community and help out whatever charity it is,” he said.
Mark Shuwera, executive director of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters, was on hand Saturday to show his appreciation.
“We’re always thrilled when someone wants to raise money for us… it’s an important source of donations for us,” Shuwera said.
The agency relies on funding from the United Way, self-generated funding and third party funding.
Big Brothers Big Sisters currently have a waitlist of about 50 kids waiting to be matched. Money from Nurse’s fundraiser will help plan activities for kid on the list.
Shuwera spoke about the importance of the agency, saying like anyone, kids benefit when they’re exposed to positive role models.
It builds confidence and self esteem while offering them new experiences.
“It’s a very simple program but it works very, very well,” Shuwera said.