Neighbors helping neighbors, one soda pop tab at a time

By Susie Hovater Malone
Columnist

Most people don’t think twice about the small aluminum tab on top of a soda can. But those tiny pieces of metal have quietly helped families stay close to their children during medical crises for decades.

Do people, clubs, organizations, schools and businesses still collect pop tabs? Yes. Anyone can collect pop tabs throughout the year and donate them for recycling for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Since 2000, recycling the small aluminum tabs from soda cans has generated more than $400,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

GFWC Alabama clubwomen have been collecting pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House Charities for the past 19 years. Beginning in 2005, GFWC Alabama clubwomen have donated an average of 1,300 pounds of pop tabs annually to Ronald McDonald House Charities in Birmingham, an affiliate of Children’s Hospital, and to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mobile.

This annual effort culminates in the crowning of the Pop Tab Queen and Princesses at the annual GFWC Alabama Clubs Convention.

The GFWC Book Lovers Study Club has supported this project since its beginning. Over the years, club members have collected pop tabs from school clubs, students, friends, families, and businesses.

In the 1980s, Book Lovers received recognition as Pop Tab Princess at the GFWC Convention. Gregg Geis, husband of Cynthia Geis, GFWC Alabama North District director and past state president, has coordinated this event for 19 years.

This year, the Alabama Education Retirees Association is supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities. President Peggy Mobley has selected Ronald McDonald House as the administration’s statewide community service project.

Ronald McDonald House supports the families of children who are seriously ill and receiving treatment at nearby children’s hospitals.

President Mobley encouraged AERA members to use their time and energy to collect pop tabs from canned drinks, pet food cans and other sources.

Each local AERA unit is requested to collect tabs and to give $1 per member to help support a room at Ronald McDonald House for a year.

The Franklin County Education Retirees Association is participating in the pop tab collection. Each member is also contributing $1 toward supporting a room.

The Ronald McDonald House story began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1974 when Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill’s daughter, Kim, was diagnosed with leukemia.

The Hill family recognized the need for a place to support families while their children received care at nearby hospitals.

Fred Hill collaborated with Dr. Audrey Evans, one of the founders of Ronald McDonald House Charities, to bring that vision to life.

The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia. By 1979, 10 more houses had opened across the United States.

Today, Ronald McDonald House Charities operates hundreds of houses and family support programs in more than 60 countries, all focused on helping families stay close to their children during medical treatment.

Families stay free of charge. They receive home-cooked meals, access to laundry facilities, and a safe place to rest.

These houses provide families with a home away from home so they can focus on what matters most, their child’s health.

Pop tabs themselves are worth only about 50 cents per pound. Recycling whole cans is more profitable. But pop tabs are easy to collect, raise awareness, and keep aluminum out of landfills.

More importantly, they bring people together around a shared purpose.

Families with critically ill children travel from across Alabama and beyond to receive pediatric care in Birmingham. During that journey, they face emotional, physical, and financial stress.

Ronald McDonald House Alabama provides comfort, care and support through family stays that keep parents close to their children during treatment.

“The Ronald McDonald House provided us with more than a room near the hospital,” the Patterson family shared. “It lifted our daily burdens with hot meals, laundry rooms and a safe space to rest. Just as importantly, it surrounded us with community during an isolating time.”