For more than a decade, Sister Barbara Mass has collected aluminum cans, recycled them and given the money to the poor.
But she does not want any contributions from you.
“I don’t want five million cans — I want other people to do the same thing that I’m doing,” Mass said.
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Mass started collecting aluminum in the 1970s, when she would use the money to buy supplies for the students in the Catholic high schools where she taught. After retiring, she kept recycling, but donated the earnings to Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity. About 10 years ago, though, this member of the Sisters of the Living Word in Arlington Heights watched several people she knew lose their jobs.
So Mass changed her contribution plan again: She started buying $25 gift cards from Jewel-Osco and giving them away to the needy.
She has developed a supply chain that enables her to collect around 50 pounds of aluminum every few weeks, and take that to Maine Scrap Metal in Des Plaines. The price for a pound of used cans has gone down, she says, but she has given away about $7,000 worth of grocery-store cards.
But she does not need more donations, she says —she needs more collectors.
Q: The holidays, and the year-end tax-write-off donations, have all ended. Do you see a drop-off in aluminum donations in January? If so, what do you do while you wait for people to start caring about each other again?
A: With what I’m doing, I see a consistent movement, because people are bringing me cans all the time. I don’t see a drop-off. What I do miss is that people will give me an extra donation at this time. This one person told me ‘Oh my goodness, I’m drink drinking as much pop as I used to,’ and I said ‘It’s OK.'”
Q: In the Gospels, Jesus taught the disciples to help the poor, but cautioned them that they would always have poor people among them. Today, we still do. Do you ever struggle with burnout?
A: I don’t look for getting a solution to this. What I look for is helping them sustain themselves right now. When I sent them a card, I think “Well, this will make them able to do something they normally wouldn’t be able to do.” Maybe it’s a treat at a fast-food place. Maybe it’s a birthday party. Put a little delight into their lives, a little surprise into their lives, which is what Jesus is about, too. My $25 card is not going to solve anything, but it’s going to make something else available to somebody.
Q: You’ve said that you don’t want more donations, you want more collectors. Anybody could do what you are doing, but few make the effort. What do you think holds people back?
A: I make a point to read the paper, and find other people who are doing good things. It’s fascinating, if you spend the time looking for other people who are doing good stuff. I think we don’t focus enough on the good people who are helping other people through small projects.
Twitter: @RonnieAtPioneer