Mocking Her
Everybody was mocking her. They told her that she was insane and too old to be doing this.
Everyone's expressions altered as a large bus drove up in front of a massive, gorgeous structure, revealing her true intentions. People blushed in embarrassment. Eventually, they realized what was going on.
Difficult Life
Ruth Hana's childhood was no walk in the park.
The 91-year-old faced a lot of adversities as a child and she often felt lonely. She was thankful for those hard years, however, because without them she would not be the person she was today. With a single purpose in mind, she was combing through millions of shards of metal.
Everybody Knew Her
This wasn't her first time doing this.
Local townspeople knew her as the woman who went through trash cans years ago. The reactions she received from people were varied, from being grossed out or by recognizing her and moving on with their day. Ruth did not mind their opinions. However, there has recently been a new issue.
Young At Heart
She did not mind that more people were watching her, but her problem stemmed from the fact that these eyes were paired with looks of disapproval.
Whenever someone said, “You’re too old to be doing anything like this,” her blood instantly starts boiling. It frustrated her that just because she was older does not mean that she wants to be confined to her small room. She knew she deserved more than this.
Adjustments
It was a difficult transition for her to leave her beautiful house to move into a retirement home.
She was treated quite nicely at the home and there was nothing to complain about. She just missed having her freedom, even though the staff does let a lot of her behavior go unpunished. She was grateful for that, especially because of what she was currently doing with the pop tabs to keep herself busy...
Filled With Tabs
Every crevice in her room was filled with boxes, bags and, jugs.
Ruth spent every second of her days searching for cans so that she could rip the tabs off. Every day she would sit and count her daily amount and repeat. Nobody knew why she was doing this, but they would soon find out.
The Last One
Every resident and staff member gathered around Ruth's room to witness her add the last tab to her collection.
Everyone cheered for Ruth. Even the people who were judgemental about what she was doing joined in. Everyone was desperate to find out what this all was for.
Let's Go
Ruth smiled and put on her brand-new shoes and her favorite coat.
She asked the staff to help her put her containers in the bus. They all sighed in relief because soon her clutter will be gone. She handed the bus driver an address and she was escorted by two staff members.
Confusion
The bus parked in front of a large building.
People streamed out the front door, Ruth knowing she was expected, however. The staff's puzzled expressions were hilarious. With a cheerful smile, a man in an expensive suit emerged.
The Secret Is Out
“Mrs. Hana, so great to finally meet you,” he said with a smile on his face. A tear welled up in the side of his eye as he examined the pop tabs.
The big mystery behind Ruth's actions was that she wanted to donate them to the Ronald MacDonald House charity. But why?
Helping Children
It wasn’t the first time Ruth had rolled up her sleeves to do something for charity.
But this one was to support families who needed to stay in the city because their children were very sick and needed to go to the specialized children’s hospital. Everything, every tab, connected back to her childhood.
Helping Others
You see, Ruth grew up in an orphanage.
Every holiday she felt heartbroken because she had no one to spend it with. Every time she got sick, she was terrified because she felt like no one cared. She had spent most of her adult years giving to children in some way.
Everyone Finally Understood
It wasn’t until they returned to the retirement home, did the sheer magnitude of her generosity become clear.
Throughout her life, she had done so many monumental donations that the city had already declared “Ruth Hana” days 12 times! The staff marvelled at the pile of certificates and thank you letters she kept hidden in a box under her bed.
Just Who She Is
Ruth didn’t like to brag. It wasn’t part of who she was.
She just loved to give back to the world. People don’t realize the true value of generosity because they don’t see how it ripples through the world. They don’t see the real fortune it bestows on both sides.
Seen In A Different Light
After the truth came out, Ruth got the “last laugh” so to speak – although she would never really laugh at them in real life.
But people in the home looked at her differently now. They realized her action held great significance. She didn’t look for praise. What touched her more than anything was seeing how people in the home started to collect tabs now too! But how do pop tabs help children?
How It Works
The Ronald McDonald Charity House collects the aluminium pop tabs - which, in themselves, don’t mean much. However, when they are all added up, they become a significant donation to charity.
Ring tabs from any can of pet food, soup, or soda are given to a local recycler, who then turns the valuable aluminium into money for the charity. But why just the tabs?
Why Just The Tabs?
The ring tags from cans are much easier to store and recycle than whole cans, and they are also much more sanitary.
Once a large number of tabs have been collected, they are loaded up and weighed to determine their monetary value. The recycling center then writes a check for the charity so they can cover their operational costs.
A Life Of Purpose
“They operate totally on volunteers and donations and when you look at what Ronald McDonald House does, it makes you look beyond yourself to help somebody else,” A fellow resident said.
“It is giving her something to do. She feels like she is contributing and it is important for an older person to have a purpose in life — a reason. It is important as you get older to look beyond yourself.”
Taking Off
Because of Ruth, the entire nursing home is collecting pop tabs for charity, too.
“I’m sort of amazed at how these tabs have taken off,” A member of the staff said. “It has gone out into the community and I’m just tickled that Ruth has gotten into this. It has given her something to do and made her feel useful.”
Paying It Forward
Ruth has collected over a million pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House, and she’s still going strong. Every time she sees a dumpster, she climbs inside and sifts through the trash to save what she can.
Her story has since gone viral on Reddit and Facebook as she spreads awareness about children in need and what we can do to help.
Another Pop Tab Collector
Aletha Buck, a 96-year-old Shelby resident, has spent the last 20 years collecting pop tabs for The Ronald McDonald house. She does it to help the facility cover its operational costs for the people they help in hospital.
She began her mission back in 1995. "When you see the kids here, it does something to you," she said. So, how many cans has Aletha collected?
10 Million Tabs
Over the 20 years she’s been collecting them, she’s managed to amass a staggering total of 10 million pop tabs!
“People were staying at The Ronald McDonald House and we always heard them talk about so many people who just needed some help,” she told reporters. How did she manage to do it?
Support From The Community
During the 20 years she’s been collecting, people have gotten wind of what she’s doing for The Ronald McDonald House.
Members of the community and even further abroad began sending her all the pop tabs they had collected in the mail. Aletha says she receives pop tabs in the mail almost daily, that’s why she keeps on counting.
Becoming Serious
“I just got more excited when I got more tabs and started counting them,” Aletha said. “And I thought, ‘well, you know, that might be alright to count them just to see how many we can get.’” Little did she know, she’d continue to collect them for the next 20 years!
Soon after she realized how much she was helping the non-profit organization, she set her goal of 10 million tabs and hit in 2021.