In 2008, First Presbyterian Church began a recycling program as a way of helping fund the church’s mission activities and as a way of making the community that much tidier.

When Betty Guthrie, who spearheads the project, tallied up the results of the program recently, she found the program has pulled in $5,850 over the last three years.

The church splits the money between the Ironton City Mission, the First United Methodist Church food pantry and Marion Medical Missions, an interdenominational international organization that drills wells for drinking water in Africa.

“I see this as a win-win-win,” Pastor Jan Williams explained. “We are recycling things and keeping them out of a landfill, and we’re taking the money and doing something for the community and for sub-Saharan Africa.”

Newspaper. Junk mail. Cardboard. Aluminum cans. The church will take one man’s unwanted bundle of papers or bag of cans and turn it into a profit that makes someone’s life better. The church doesn’t collect plastic because Rumpke does not pay for plastic.

Guthrie and other fellow church members involved in the project have coordinated with a number of courthouse offices, local businesses and even private individuals who have Guthrie pick up their papers and cans, which are then taken to Rumpke Recycling in Hamilton Township and traded in for cash.

The amounts are small. Rumpke pays a penny a pound for newspaper, two cents a pound for cardboard and three cents a pound for office paper and junk mail. Aluminum cans will bring 70 cents a pound.

But week after week, month after month and year after year, those pennies per pound accumulated. Each time the church got $25 in its missions account, a check was issued to one of the three entities that benefit from the project.

Guthrie said the church got a letter this summer from Tim Logan, the president of Marion Medical Missions, who explained how First Presbyterian’s money was saving lives.

“He told me how sending money helps build wells in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia,” Guthrie said. “He said unsafe drinking water kills more kids under five than malaria, Aids and TB (tuberculosis). It was such a heartfelt letter it brought tears to my eyes.”

Williams said $350 will build one well in Africa; often one well will provide safe, clean drinking water to a village of 100-200 people.

Guthrie thanked the people who have donated their recyclables to the church project.

“Anyone who has helped in any way, I want them to know how much we appreciate it,” Guthrie said.

Those who want to donate may call Guthrie at 532-7460 or the church at 532-0601.