On Wednesday, February 29th, Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) and her staff participated in National Leap of Kindness Day, a Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce invention and international designation that encourages people to do something kind during February’s extra day.
“My staff and I spent Leap Day volunteering our time at MT Returnables, a redemption center that serves the greater Glens Falls area,” said the Assemblywoman. “My goal was to be kind to our planet by raising awareness of the importance of recycling and keeping our local redemption centers in business,” said Woerner, whose bill (A.3375) calls for an increase in redemption center handling fees. “We handled over 6,000 containers in 4 hours yesterday. Typically, this redemption center handles 6x that number, and manages a food pantry as well. We must help these community-focused, small businesses stay afloat while ensuring redeemable bottles and cans stay out of our landfills and waterways,” said Woerner.
Fifty percent of the day’s proceeds from donated redeemed bottles and cans (over $100) is going to the Mechanicville chapter of the non-profit, Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP). According to SHP Volunteer Coordinator Dan Brown, too many children sleep every night on couches and floors. “Our all-volunteer organization helps ensure kids get a safer and more comfortable night’s rest, so they live healthier and happier lives,” said Brown.
Saratoga Children’s Literacy League (SCLL), a local non-profit whose mission is to encourage reading and help kids start their own home libraries by giving them free, donated books also received over $100 from the day’s proceeds of redeemed containers. “I’m grateful the Assemblywoman’s Leap of Kindness Day efforts includes our organization and the purchase of a Book Bus, so we can deliver more books to more kids,” said SCLL co-founder Erin Smith.
Leap of Kindness Day is a great Leap Year idea,” exclaimed Woerner, and I am thrilled to be supporting this unique calendar day with the help of my staff and those leaders in our community that focus their efforts on helping our planet and the health and happiness of its next generation.”
If you would like to learn more about Sleep In Heavenly Peace, the Saratoga Literacy League or the critical issues facing our state’s redemptions centers, please feel free to visit shpbeds.org or saratogachildresnsliteracyleague.org or contact Assemblywoman Woerner’s office.