Ronald McDonald House Tab Top Fundraiser Program

[SteveMN]

I know we all hate finding pull tabs and I am sure that most of us end up throwing them away. I started thinking after I saw Geodawns shirt in his father's day post and thought about all the good we as a detecting community could do by taking all those pull tabs we find and giving them to the Ronald McDonald House. I know there are several around the country and it is a very good cause. I was just curious to see what everyone thought about this idea. Here is a little info:

http://www.rmhc.com/

The Tab Top program was started in 1987 in South St. Paul, Minnesota by a group of 30 families from VFW Post #295. They initially presented the local Ronald McDonald House with a check for $120.00, and more than 15 years later the program has raised several million dollars.
Why tab tops? They are easily removed from the can and allow for any individual or community group to participate. Tabs are much smaller and cleaner than cans, enabling the House to handle the large volume that it receives. Besides, the Tab Top Program is unique to the Ronald McDonald House.

Many schools have become involved in the program as service projects or as a learning tool in the classroom. The program teaches Math concepts, recycling and environmental lessons.

Once the tab tops are at the Ronald McDonald House they are put into large French fry boxes and ready for the McDonald's supplier truck to pick them up and take to Minnesota where they are sold to a scrap metal company.

Pop Tab Measurement Equivalents
1 inch = 1 tab top
1 foot = 12 tab tops
1 meter = 40 tab tops
1 lb. = 1,267 tab tops
1 km = 40,000 tab tops
1 mile = 63,360 tab tops

[SkiWhiz]

Anything that helps a Ronald McDonald House is good in my book. When my daughter was young we had to take her to the hospital in Burlington,Vermont for a few days, my wife and I stayed at the Ronald McDonald House there and couldn't of been any more comfortable or had it any better than if we were at a 5 star hotel. I don't have alot but I try to send the Ronald McDonald House what I can afford every year. Great post Steve. Steve.

[sectshun8]

It's an outstanding idea

I know a few charities in my area that promote this each year.

[RickO]

It is a great service and well worth supporting. RickO

[DougF]

I know this is a worthy cause, but I don't see how they generate much money from selling the tabs as scrap. It takes a lot of tabs to make a pound.

[sectshun8]

Well let's do the math here... in the US alone, we consume, for the sake of whole numbers, 70 billion cans of soda per year (let alone canned beer and juices). A single tab weighs approximately 0.0107 oz. So with the current scrap rate of $0.55/lb (my sig. other works at a scrap yard so I got the info today) That's roughly 1496 tabs to equal a pound. That's roughly 46,791,444 pounds of pull tabs. Thusly, you could warrant $25,735,295 from them all.... again, not including beer tabs or other canned beverages.

[G-man422]

Love that computing Jimmy. Very intersting fact.

[sectshun8]

Originally Posted by G-man422

Love that computing Jimmy. Very intersting fact.

Thanks Gabe

Just like with my post of the ACE 150 Tactical... I have nothing but time while I'm out here floating, so things like figuring out the weight and value that normal people just don't waste their time with... gives me something to do, hahahaha. I just happened to have a small electronic gram/oz scale available, and we go through plenty of soda on board... too easy.

[agbkyle]

What a Great idea!! My daughter used to collect them for that reason and over the years I'd forgotten all about it and didn't even know it still existed.

[cammobunker]

That's cool!