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Ohtaki students exchange metal for money

Pitching-in to raise funds for students’ trip to Ohtaki, Japan
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Lorna Vomaka is hoping that during the town's oitch-in day that citizens will bring old

In conjunction with the town’s Pitch-In initiative on April 27, Lorna Vomacka of Lake Cowichan Furniture and Appliance is hosting a metal recycle event to raise funds for students and parent delegates to take the annual trip to Ohtaki, Japan.

“I figured it was a good time to do it,” says Vomacka. “We saw the clean-up the town was doing and I thought, there you go, we might as well do a fundraiser.”

The bin for this fundraiser will be arriving at Lake Cowichan Furniture and Appliance on Friday, April 26, but Vomacka says the fundraiser will only be taking place on Saturday and she hopes people will not drop off their items beforehand. She explains that they have to monitor what is donated so they do not end up with garbage and other items that they will then have to pay to dispose of.

Vomacka says that this type of fundraiser was done last year by Michelle Taylor, a teacher at LCSS, to raise money for the greenhouse at the school.

“This year I have contacted contractors who have been storing metal,” says Vomacka. She has also been in touch with rental agencies to let them know as well.

“Often tenants leave stuff behind when they move out,” says Vomacka. She has been working with Tracy Forrest, of Countrywide Realty, to compile a list of homes to pick-up items from, and so far they have compiled about eight.

Vomacka has two children making the journey to Japan this year, Brandon and Ashley. “They are big-time excited,” she says, “and patiently waiting.”

Brandon and one other student have goals of one day teaching English in Japan, so this is their opportunity to see how they like the country and see if they want to continue with this goal.

Vomacka would like to encourage everyone to bring down their lawn mowers, BBQs, cast metal, and even CLEAN oil tanks.

“The list is almost endless,” she says. But there are a couple of items that they won’t be accepting, and those include fridges and freezers. This is because the Freon must be drained in order to properly recycle these items, and because this service is a $15 cost, it simply makes it not worth it for the group to accept these items.

For a complete list of what will be accepted, visit schnitzersteel.com. Schniter Steel, located in Duncan, will be providing their time and the bin for this fundraiser.

Vomacka says that she is also offering free pick-up of items on Saturday, so if you have metal items in your yard or garage that you want to get rid of, phone her at 250-749-4363 on April 27. Lake Cowichan Furniture and Appliance will be accepting your metal recycle between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.