The Pull-Tab Project raising funds for the Ronald McDonald House

When June Glass attended a Porterville Contemporary Women’s Club meeting in 1993 to hear the former CEO Patty Mangredi for Ronald McDonald House speak, she didn’t realize it would cause an addiction that has lasted 17 years.

The “addiction” is something as simple as collecting “pull-tabs” that are taken from aluminum cans, cleaned, boxed and delivered to Madera, where the Ronald McDonald House is located.

 When the collection of “pull-tabs” grew to be too much for one person, Glass got her bowling partner and friend Leah Evans involved.

To date, the women have taken more than 600 pounds of tabs to the Ronald McDonald House, where they are then loaded on a truck and taken to the local recycling center, turning the tabs in for cash.

The cash is then used to support the Ronald McDonald House.

“We have others involved, collecting from individuals, various churches, clubs and organizations, bringing them to us in boxes of all sizes,” Evans said. “And  we never go anywhere that someone doesn’t show up with a baggie full of pull-tabs. It is an addictive hobby.”

The tabs come from all over the state, Glass said, “I’ve had UPS deliver boxes of pull-tabs from people in L.A. that heard about our collection.”

Once they even received a 50-pound burlap bag full of the tabs.

The Ronald McDonald House was established in 1984 by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley as a place to meet the needs of families while their child was hospitalized.

It is a non-profit organization that not only accepts cash donations but supplies such as household items, food items, cleaning and office supplies, entertainment passes to movies, zoos, and children’s play land, to name a few.

The house is broken up into three wings with each wing having a kitchen that the families staying in the wing share.

The kitchens are fully stocked with food and all of the utensils/appliances one would find in a standard kitchen.

“All the food is donated by individuals and organizations in the community,” said David Ashjian, project coordinator.

He continues, “each guest room has two queen size beds, television, full restrooms and some rooms have cribs.”

There is also two television rooms and one large community living room.

 To keep the 18-bedroom home comfortable for residents, cleaning services have also donated their time.

The main purpose is to make the rooms feel like a “home away from home.”

 “And people are always surprised that to stay in the Ronald McDonald House there is no cost,” Glass said. “If  the resident can pay, it’s as little as $15 a night donation, but money is never mentioned, just the service they give to the families that need a place to stay while their child is having treatment.”

Too, there is no limit to time spent at the house. It could be from one night, to a month and sometimes as long as one year, depending on the child’s illness and treatment.

According to Ashjian, it is estimated that it cost $85 a night, per family.  If a family can pay the $15 per night, donations are accepted, however if the family can’t afford this, their stay is paid for through donations such as the “Pull-Tab Project,” and no one is turned away because of an inability to pay.

The Ronald McDonald House is conveniently located close to Children’s Hospital Central California.

The hospital is situated on a 50-acre campus, with more than 450 physicians, serving children from  through out the state.

The non-profit facility offers 338-beds, and is one of the 10 largest hospitals of its type in the nation.

It is a state-of-the-art hospital for children ranging in age from birth to 18-years, and is proud of having the lowest mortality rates in the country while treating some of the sickest children.

 Volunteers are very important to Children’s Hospital, as well as the Ronald McDonald House.

 Each year more than 500 children volunteer, proving it is amazing what volunteers of all ages, can do.

“For those interested in hearing more about the Pull-Tab Program, and the Ronald McDonald House, I will gladly visit clubs and organizations to tell about the project,” Glass said.

She can be reached at 782-8170.