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Woman Who Saved Pop Tabs For 26 Years Finally Cashes Out.
No one knew what Ruth Hana was doing when she'd jump into a dumpster and pull out cans, only to take the pop tab off and throw the can back. She was 91 years old; it was odd, to say the least.
Little did these people know that Ruth's collection of pop tabs would help many lives.
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0:00
No one knew what Ruth Hana was doing
0:01
when she'd jump into a dumpster and pull
0:03
out cans only to take the pop tab off
0:06
and throw the can back. She was 91 years
0:09
old. It was odd to say the least. Little
0:12
did these people know that Ruth's
0:14
collection of pop tabs would help many
0:16
lives. Before we start, smash the like
0:18
button and make sure to subscribe if you
0:19
haven't and hit that notification bell
0:21
so that you won't miss any new stories.
0:24
When Ruth Hana dug through the trash and
0:26
hopped into dumpsters without a second
0:27
thought, onlookers were confused about
0:30
her intentions. Ruth wasn't homeless,
0:32
and people around town knew who she was.
0:35
Yet, no one thought to stop in their
0:37
tracks and ask the older lady what she
0:39
was doing. They'd soon find out. Ruth
0:41
was 91 years old and had no issue with
0:44
people staring at and judging her. She
0:46
was alone most of her life and was used
0:48
to the learing. Even so, she was oddly
0:50
thankful for her lonely years growing
0:52
up. anything different. And Ruth would
0:55
not be the person who jumped into
0:56
dumpsters. And for a good reason. Each
0:59
day, Ruth made it her mission to sift
1:01
through as much garbage as she could.
1:03
Her hope was to find cans, soup, soda,
1:06
or other food that had a pop tab. No one
1:08
knew why the older lady was so
1:10
hyperfocused on finding tabs, and Ruth
1:12
didn't humor them with the why since no
1:15
one asked. This was not a new
1:17
development. Town's people watched Ruth
1:19
for years as she hopped into dumpsters
1:21
and searched through people's trash.
1:24
They were confused and some were even
1:26
grossed out. Ruth didn't mind their
1:28
judgment, though, because she knew what
1:30
she was doing and why she was doing it.
1:33
The tabs were important. Even though
1:35
Ruth knew what she was doing was
1:37
important and would pay off in the end,
1:39
it didn't stop people from giving her
1:41
disapproving looks. Some even went as
1:43
far as telling her, "You're too old to
1:45
be doing anything like this." Comments
1:48
like that made Ruth shake her head. Just
1:50
because she was old didn't mean she had
1:52
to sit around all day doing nothing.
1:54
Eventually, Ruth moved out of her home
1:56
and into a retirement house. The
1:58
facility was nice, and the staff was
2:00
understanding when Ruth brought along
2:02
her large collection of tabs. She was
2:04
grateful they allowed her collection, as
2:06
it was against the rules to have so much
2:08
clutter in a room. While the retirement
2:09
home was comfortable, Ruth missed being
2:12
able to go out. She missed her freedom.
2:14
Just because she was confined to the
2:17
home's grounds didn't mean she was going
2:19
to give up her mission. Each day, Ruth
2:22
would go through all of the trash,
2:24
collecting more and more tabs. After the
2:26
end of each day, Ruth would sit in her
2:28
room and count all of the tabs she'd
2:31
collected before adding them to the
2:33
boxes, jugs, and other holding
2:35
containers she had littered over her
2:36
room. As the town's folk were, the
2:38
people in the retirement home were
2:40
confused as to why Ruth was so
2:41
fascinated with collecting poptabs. Ruth
2:44
was eager to get to 1 million pop tabs
2:47
when she finally found the last tab to
2:49
add to her collection, everyone at the
2:51
retirement home gathered around to
2:53
witness her success. Even while they
2:55
were cheering her on, the onlookers were
2:57
more than eager to learn what it was all
2:59
for. Still, Ruth didn't tell anyone what
3:02
the huge collection was for or why she
3:04
went through all that trouble to find
3:05
the tabs. It had taken years, and she
3:08
wasn't about to brag about it. But after
3:10
all the judgment and mean looks, Ruth
3:12
finally completed her mission and was
3:14
ready to hand the tabs off. All Ruth did
3:17
was smile at her collection. Then she
3:20
went back to her room, put on her shoes,
3:22
and grabbed a jacket. Afterward, she
3:24
asked the staff at the retirement home
3:26
if they would help her load all of the
3:28
boxes of her 1 million pop tabs into the
3:31
home's van. The staff was eager to help
3:33
Ruth if for no other reason than the
3:35
clutter would finally be gone. But they
3:37
were still curious as to why after all
3:39
this time, Ruth wanted to get rid of the
3:42
tabs. It seemed like the bits of metal
3:44
were important to the lady. Why would
3:46
she give them up? Once all of the tabs
3:48
were in the van, Ruth handed the driver
3:50
a tiny piece of paper. It had an address
3:52
written on it, and soon Ruth's actual
3:55
mission with her collection would be
3:57
complete. Along with two staff members,
3:59
the driver took off to the address,
4:01
wondering what was in store when they
4:03
got there. The bus driver pulled up in
4:05
front of a large building. Everyone was
4:07
confused as to why they were there.
4:09
Well, everyone except Ruth. She made an
4:12
appointment and knew they were expecting
4:13
her. That's when a man dressed in a suit
4:15
walked out the front door, going
4:17
straight to the van and asking if she
4:20
was Ruth. The gentleman took Ruth's hand
4:22
and said, "Mrs. Hana, so great to
4:24
finally meet you." He got very emotional
4:26
once he saw the sheer number of pop tabs
4:29
Ruth brought along. Ruth was donating
4:30
her entire collection of tabs to the
4:33
nonprofit Ronald McDonald House Charity.
4:35
The question, though, was why. As it
4:38
turned out, this wasn't the first time
4:39
Ruth took it upon herself to help those
4:42
in need. She often donated to charity
4:44
and helped out where she could. The
4:46
Ronald McDonald House, though, held a
4:48
special place in her heart. It helped
4:50
facilitate programs for families with
4:52
children in need, namely those with an
4:54
illness. She held the organization close
4:56
to her heart because of her own
4:58
childhood. Ruth grew up an orphan and
5:01
never knew the comfort of having someone
5:02
around when she was lonely, scared, or
5:05
sick. Ruth wanted to ensure no child
5:08
would ever feel that way, so she began
5:10
collecting tabs to help the nonprofit
5:12
organization. Ruth actually spent most
5:14
of her adult life helping children,
5:17
something that became abundantly clear
5:18
when she and the staff returned to the
5:20
retirement home. There, Ruth showed the
5:22
staff her various certificates and thank
5:24
you letters from over the years. She had
5:26
made so many donations to charities that
5:29
the city even declared a Ruth Hana day
5:31
12 separate times. Ruth wasn't in it for
5:33
the recognition, though. She just wanted
5:35
to make sure the children were as
5:36
comfortable as possible. So, Ruth hid
5:39
the letters in a box under her bed. She
5:42
wasn't one to show off. Giving back was
5:44
all Ruth wanted to do. Regardless if
5:46
people recognized her work or not, it
5:48
still begs the question, why did she
5:50
take it upon herself to collect 1
5:52
million pop tabs? What could they
5:54
possibly be used for to help children?
5:56
Well, the Ronald McDonald House actually
5:59
collects pop tabs by themselves. The
6:01
aluminum tabs really aren't worth much,
6:04
but when you add together everything
6:05
Ruth brought in, they can equate to a
6:08
pretty penny. The Ronald McDonald House
6:10
collects the aluminum tabs and then
6:12
brings them over to a local recycling
6:14
plant. There they trade the tabs in for
6:16
money. As of 20122, the POP tab program
6:19
has generated more than $4 million. The
6:23
money goes towards facility expenses,
6:25
support programs, and to help sponsor
6:27
programs. The foundation wasn't
6:29
interested in the entire can or
6:31
container, though. They just wanted to
6:32
tabs as they are more sanitary and are
6:35
way easier to store in the long term.
6:37
Once enough have been collected, the
6:39
charity brings them to be weighed to
6:41
determine their value. Then the
6:42
recycling plant writes and cuts a check
6:45
then and there. The nonprofit
6:46
organization is wellknown. When asked
6:48
about the Ronald McDonald House, one of
6:50
Ruth's fellow retirement home residents
6:52
spoke very highly of it, saying, "They
6:55
operate totally on volunteers and
6:57
donations, and when you look at what
6:59
Ronald McDonald House does, it makes you
7:01
look beyond yourself to help somebody
7:04
else." The resident then spoke about
7:06
Ruth and her mission saying, "It is
7:08
giving her something to do. She feels
7:10
like she is contributing and it is
7:13
important for an older person to have a
7:15
purpose in life, a reason. It is
7:17
important as you get older to look
7:18
beyond yourself." After finding out Ruth
7:21
was collecting the pop tabs for charity,
7:23
the entire retirement home decided to
7:25
join in on her cause. Eventually, the
7:28
entire home began collecting tabs. One
7:30
staff member said, "I'm sort of amazed
7:32
at how these tabs have taken off. It has
7:35
gone out into the community, and I'm
7:37
just tickled that Ruth has gotten into
7:39
this. It has given her something to do
7:41
and made her feel useful." Speaking to a
7:43
Milwaukee news station, Ruth joked about
7:46
her dumpster diving days and why she
7:47
finds it so important to give back to
7:49
the community. She said, "I know. When I
7:52
went to Miller Park, it's really funny.
7:54
Sometimes I would almost fall down into
7:57
those dumpsters." Even so, Ruth always
7:59
knew there was extreme value in what she
8:02
was doing. Even after donating her
8:03
collection to the Ronald McDonald House,
8:06
Ruth didn't stop. After handing off the
8:08
boxes full of pop tabs, she was back
8:10
hopping into dumpsters and searching for
8:12
tabs whenever she had the chance. She is
8:15
an amazing example of doing something so
8:17
simple in order to help children in
8:19
need. Ruth continued in the interview,
8:22
explaining what it was like to grow up
8:24
in an orphanage without a family. It was
8:26
one of the reasons she was so passionate
8:28
about her charity work. She said,
8:30
"Christmas would come and I would cry
8:32
that I had nobody to celebrate with. My
8:34
birthday came and passed. Same thing.
8:36
It's not what you get. It's what you
8:39
give that counts." Even though Ruth grew
8:41
up never knowing what it was like to
8:43
have a family, she has since made her
8:45
own. Since she has made so many generous
8:47
donations, people who benefited wanted
8:50
to meet their guardian angel. According
8:52
to Ruth, the mothers are just
8:54
overwhelmed. They're kind of my family.
8:56
With Ruth's focused attitude and now the
8:58
help of her fellow retirement home
9:00
residents, she was able to collect more
9:02
and more pop tabs. The sheer about help
9:04
allowed Ruth to make more frequent
9:06
donations to the Ronald McDonald House.
9:09
Needless to say, no one was about to
9:10
give Ruth another weird look when she
9:12
hopped into a dumpster to search for
9:14
cans.
#Seniors & Retirement
#Social Issues & Advocacy
#Charity & Philanthropy