- The DeWitt Scrap Metal Drive has helped to fund the program for years.
- As community brings in their spare items for recycling, that money returns to the band.
- Video shows info about the drive and how it provides the band money for their season.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg, here in DeWitt. A marching band is made up of brass, winds, percussion, and more. This weekend, the DeWitt Marching Band will be adding metal.
Scrap metal, that is. For years, the band has used metal as a primary fundraiser for their program, helping to purchase uniforms, instruments, props, and other band necessities.
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"If you've got stuff in that corner of your garage—maybe you did a plumbing remodel project, or have a car battery, or an appliance—things like that, that we could use to recycle through Lewis Padnos Recycling, they give us cash for that and we use it to fund the band," said Organizer Chris Lau.
Last year, Lau says the band went without the fundraiser due to higher metal return prices. This year, prices are around $140 per ton, which can result in a good payout for the program.
"Some years we get $2,000, and I understand some years we've made around $12,000. So the more we can get and the better we can separate it, the more the band will get," said Lau.
![](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8ccbf28/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1306x722+0+0/resize/1280x708!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F03%2Ff1%2Fb0369c444d079cd3e2bd82d1796e%2Fscreenshot-2024-08-09-at-4-29-52-pm.png)
Lau says that as long as the item is at least 50% metal, it can be recycled in the fundraiser, which takes place Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pickup for items is also available through the band’s fundraising email.
fundraising@dewittbands.org
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