In the form of a large cheque, Slegg Building Materials in Cumberland recently donated $2294.49 to the Comox Valley food bank.
The money was raised from scrap metal they accumulated after a warehouse clean-up.
But this donation isn’t a one-off for the Cumberland company.
“When I first got here we had a metal bin that was going to one of the scrap metal dealers that has since gone out of business,” said Ian Taylor, a Slegg employee and food bank volunteer.
“I asked my then yard manager if we could donate it to the food bank, and he wholeheartedly said yes.”
For some at Slegg, the charity work touches home.
“Years ago when I was a much younger man I spent some time on the streets of Vancouver,”
wrote Steve Porter, the Cumberland operations manager, in a letter supplied to 98.9 The Goat.
“I had never been so hungry in my life. At one point I hadn’t eaten for three days. A homeless lady eventually introduced me to a little church that gave out day old breads and such. A full belly changes your whole perspective. I made my way home to the Island and my time in Vancouver faded into the past.”
“I recently joined a local Island company who has been quietly donating the proceeds from recycled metal to our local food bank on McPhee in Courtenay. Ian Taylor, an employee of Slegg Building Materials in Cumberland has been overseeing this act of kindness for the last seven years or so.”
Sleggs accepts scrap metal donations year round, with all of the proceeds going to the food bank.
“Thank you Ian and thank you Slegg, for remembering those that need a little help sometimes,” wrote Porter.
“Any kind of scrap metal that you might have, whether it be fridges and freezers or any kind of appliances, blinds, anything you can think of,” said Taylor.
You can donate your scrap metal at 3217 Small Road in Cumberland or at Slegg in Comox – 554 Anderton Road.
