Ruth's Reusable Resources on Your Hometown on Fox23 Hosted by Amie E. Marzen

Host: EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO HAVE THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL. EVERY DAY THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR STUDENTS START THE DAY WITHOUT MUCH-NEEDED PAPER, PENCILS, AND OTHER BASIC SUPPLIES. HERE, AT RUTH'S REUSABLE RESOURCES, THEY GET SURPLUS SUPPLIES AND BRING THEM TO SCHOOLS AND NON-PROFITS. >> RUTH'S REUSABLE RESOURCES IS IN THE SHORT VERSION A FREE STORE FOR TEACHERS. WE KIND OF BRIDGE A GAP BETWEEN BUSINESS AND EDUCATION WHERE WE ARE TAKING THE STUFF THAT BUSINESSES DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH AND IT'S THE SAME STUFF THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS NEED REALLY BADLY. SO, YOU KNOW, MANY BUSINESSES WANT TO HELP EDUCATION, BUT MAYBE THEIR FOUNDATIONS DON'T REALLY GIVE FUNDING TO EDUCATION, BUT THEY ALL HAVE THIS "STUFF", THEY ALL HAVE THE OFFICE SUPPLIES OR THE PENCILS AND THE PENS AND THE BINDERS. THEY ALL HAVE THAT "STUFF" THAT SCHOOLS NEED. SO WE JUST KIND OF PUT THE TWO TOGETHER. Host: RUTH LIBBY BEGAN RUTH'S REUSABLE RESOURCES IN 1994. IT BEGAN WHEN SHE TOOK THE EXTRA STEP IN COLLECTING ITEMS FOR HER SON'S KINDERGARTEN CLASS, AND IT SNOWBALLED FROM THERE. >> WHEN MY OLDEST SON WAS IN THE GRADE SCHOOLS, ONE OF THE TEACHERS ASKED FOR MEAT TRAYS AND EGG CARTONS AND ASKED US TO BRING IT IN, YOU KNOW, THE KIDS TO BRING IT INTO THE CLASSROOM, SO I ACTUALLY TOOK THAT NOTE AND MY MOTHER AT THE TIME WAS WORKING AT UNUM AND GAVE HER THE NOTE. SHE WAS SAVING STUFF AT UNUM, EVEN THE LITTLE COFFEE CREAMER THINGY MAGIGGYS, SHE WOULD WASH THEM OUT AND THE TEACHERS ACTUALLY WERE TAKING THEM FOR GLUE, LITTLE GLUE, YOU KNOW, CUPS FOR KIDS. I WAS TAKING THAT STUFF IN THE CELLAR OF MY HOUSE. TEACHERS FROM SCARBOROUGH WERE COMING IN SHOPPING FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS UNTIL ONE TEACHER WENT BACK TO SCHOOL AND SAID, HEY, THIS IS WHAT SHE'S DOING FOR US. IS THERE ANY WAY YOU CAN GIVE HER SPACE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO HER HOME AND SHOP? Host: THANKS TO SOME BRILLIANT FUNDRAISING AND GRANTS, RUTH'S 3 R'S HAS A GIANT WAREHOUSE IN PORTLAND. THEY ARE OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK AND SERVE SCHOOLS ALL OVER MAINE, EVEN AS FAR AS MILLINOCKET FROM THEIR PORTLAND LOCATION. THE NEED IS SO GREAT THEY HOPE TO ONE DAY BE ABLE TO FUND ANOTHER SITE IN BANGOR. SCHOOLS PAY A SMALL MEMBERSHIP FEE TO BE ABLE TO SHOP FOR FREE, ONE THAT IS EASILY MADE UP FOR IN JUST ONE SHOPPING TRIP AT RUTH'S. >> IT'S AMAZING HOW MUCH STUFF IS HERE. IT'S AMAZING HOW HARD HER FOLKS WORK TO GET IT READY TO GET BACK OUT INTO THE SCHOOLS, AND IT'S JUST REALLY GREAT TO SEE THAT THIS ISN'T, ALL THIS STUFF, THIS COULD ALL BE SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN GOING BACK INTO SCHOOLS AND HELPING OTHER PEOPLE WHO NEED IT. IT COULD BE BURIED SOMEWHERE IN A LANDFILL, BUT IT'S NOT. IT'S GOING BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITY. >> SINCE 1994, WE WILL BE AT THE END OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH IS IN JUNE. WE WILL BE AT $39 MILLION WORTH OF DONATED PRODUCT THAT WE HAVE SAVED FROM LANDFILLS. SO THOSE ITEMS ARE THE ITEMS THAT WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT, GETTING IT BACK INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, GETTING IT INTO THE MAINSTREAM, AND BRIDGING THAT GAP FROM CORPORATE SURPLUS OR INDIVIDUAL SURPLUS AND GETTING IT INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. >> IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE DUNKIN DONUTS... THE HOLE FROM THE DOUGHNUT, THAT NEVER GOT USED BEFORE, BUT THEN THEY REALIZED THEY COULD TURN IT INTO A MUNCHKIN, IT'S THAT KIND OF STUFF. Host: THE COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO TAKING WHAT BUSINESSES NO LONGER HAVE A USE FOR FILLS A HUGE NEED. IN A SIXTH MONTH SPAN, STARTING IN JULY 2011, OVER 126,000 BINDERS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO LOCAL SCHOOLS. IN THAT SAME TIME PERIOD, 113,000 NEW BOOKS AND 75,000 RECYCLED TEXTBOOKS HAVE GONE INTO THE HANDS OF STUDENTS. NOT TO MENTION OVER 71,000 REAMS OF PAPER, 85,000 ONE-SUBJECT NOTEBOOKS, 47,000 PENCILS, AND 43,000 PENS. >> IT'S A COST SAVINGS FOR YOUR BUSINESS. IT'S A GREAT THING TO DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, AND YOUR EMPLOYEES ALSO FEEL GREAT ABOUT IT. I MEAN THE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN OUR FACILITIES AREA THAT HELP GET THE PRODUCTS DOWN HERE, AND WE HAVE SKIDS AND SKIDS OF STUFF THAT COME DOWN HERE FULL OF PRODUCT, THEY ARE SO HAPPY THAT IT'S GOING TO RUTH'S, BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE KNOWING THEY'RE NOT JUST THROWING SOMETHING IN THE TRASH. THEY LIKE KNOWING IT'S GOING TO BE REUSED. >> RIGHT NOW THE NEXT GOAL WOULD BE TO RAISE ENOUGH FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE OPERATIONS HERE, WHICH MOSTLY ARE TO HIRE PEOPLE. RIGHT NOW THERE'S ONLY TWO FULL- TIME STAFF AND TWO PART-TIME STAFF. ALL OF THAT COMING IN, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH OF US TO KEEP UP WITH PUTTING IT IN HERE. YOU KNOW, HAVING VOLUNTEERS ARE GREAT... IF THEY DON'T HAVE A JOB, THEY DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS TO HAVE THE GAS TO GET HERE. AND SO REALLY HAVING THE MONEY TO HIRE PEOPLE, WHICH IS NOT THE FIRST THING THAT FOUNDATIONS WANT TO DO IS TO GIVE YOU FUNDING TO HIRE PEOPLE, BUT THAT REALLY IS OUR BIGGEST STUMBLING BLOCK AT THE MOMENT IS TO GET THE PEOPLE IN HERE SO THAT WE CAN GET THE PRODUCT IN THE STORE, BECAUSE THE TEACHERS ARE COMING TO GET IT. Host: WHILE THE DONATED PRODUCT IS OFTEN FREE, RUTH'S PAYS FOR SHIPPING AND DOES THE SORTING IN-HOUSE, ALL TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT HAS THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO SUCCEED. >> NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO SIT IN THE BACK OF THE CLASSROOM WITHOUT A PEN AND WITHOUT PAPER AND HAVE IT BE KNOWN BY EVERYBODY ELSE IN THE CLASSROOM THAT THEY DON'T HAVE IT, YOU KNOW, SO COMING IN HERE, TEACHERS CAN GET 25 PENS, 25 PENCILS, 25 ONE-SUBJECT NOTEBOOKS, SO THAT NOBODY HAS TO BE WITHOUT PEN AND PAPER OR A BOOK TO READ, SO THAT KIDS ARE SO EXCITED TO LEARN, IT'S WHY WE KEEP DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING. Host: WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RUTH'S REUSABLE RESOURCES? LOG ONTO THEIR WEBSITE. IT'S RUTHS.ORG, OR THERE'S A LINK ON MYFOXMAINE.COM