Drive-through shredding event sees large turnout

GAF

By Anna Derby & Linda Johnson

LW contributors

The Golden Age Foundation’s drive-through shredding event on Nov. 5 was a huge success. The community’s willingness to wear face masks and maintain physical distancing was the main contributor to the event’s success.

Since this was the second drive-through shredding event the GAF has put on, most shareholders knew the drill to wait in their car until they arrived where GAF board members and volunteers waited to pick up their plastic or paper bags from their cars without contact.

The seemingly never-ending line kept moving from 10 a.m.noon, and everyone was able to drop off their documents to be shredded.

The gracious mobile shredding truck driver, Raul Gamez, came in an half hour early to help shareholders load bags to shred. Close to 250 shareholders showed up to the event, and the certificate of destruction the company issued said 40 barrels were filled. The group usually fills an average of 25 to 28 barrels, making it seem as if shareholders have been doing some deep cleaning as COVID-19 restrictions stay in place.

GAF also collected a little over two buckets of batteries instead of its average one bucket per event. Shareholders who missed the opportunity to discard old and used batteries can go to the alley behind Building 5 to drop off their batteries in a bucket labeled “Old Batteries” at any time.

The GAF would like to thank its eight volunteers, Carl Kennedy, Linda Johnson, Ren Villanueva, Geneva Potepan, Rosemarie Da Roza, John Hlavac, Supara Ratanasadudi and event coordinator Anna Derby, for their help in making the event run smoothly. It would also like to thank Paul Pridanonda, who jumped in to help when he saw a huge pile of shredding bags that needed to be carried.

The GAF is grateful to the Leisure World community for its continued support of GAF events. All donations support GAF programs and events, including Mobility Aids.

During the pandemic, Mobility Aids program director John Hlavac and phone volunteers have been able to supply the community with needed wheelchairs and walkers. For information regarding a mobility aid, call (562) 431-9589 and leave a message.

The next shredding event will be held sometime in March 2021.