Ruth Libby from Ruth’s Reusable Resources
November 11th Meeting
Candy introduced Ruth Libby from Ruth’s Reusable Resources. Before she began her comments, she had handed out an impressive facts booklet that celebrates 20t years of this volunteer organization whose beginning is best described by visiting their website: www.ruths.org and reading its history as told by Ruth:
Ruth's is beginning it's 20th season of service to schools in Maine. 3R's had it's beginning 20years ago, in Ruth and Tom Libby's basement, then moved to one room in the Oak Hill Grammar School on the Black Point Road, before taking over the 1st floor of the Bessey School. Ten years ago they moved to their present Blueberry Road location near Unum in Portland.
”I started this when my oldest son's kindergarten teacher sent a note home requesting parents assistance by saving some household items that could be used in school craft projects, such as egg cartons, meat trays, juice can lids, etc. I saved these items, as did my mother, my grandmother and some of my mother's friends at UNUM. I delivered some of the items to the school, then for a couple of years, some of the teachers came to our basement to take whatever they needed in their classrooms.
”Then, I saw an article in the Sunday paper about a woman in Auburn who was collecting items from businesses to recycle into the schools, so I checked it out. A year and a half later, I connected with UNUM. That 's when, in the 1st year in the Bessey School, my work status changed from being a volunteer to getting paid.
”I received grant money from the UNUM Charitable Foundation for the 1st and 2nd years in the Bessey School with a stipulation that 3R's would be licensed as a Non-profit organization and become self- supporting by the end of the 2nd year.”
Unum subsequently gave them a great deal on their current building reducing the price more than half to $635,000. Key Bank loaned them $400,000 if they raised $235,000.
Thanks to Governor Baldacci and Sue Gendron they made their goal.
Today they serve the entire state and are seeking a retail location in the Bangor area. Ruth estimates that they have given away $53,000,000 worth of goods. Their annual budget is $235,000. They have 4 full time employees including Tom, her husband. When she last spoke in 2005, Tom was a teacher in Westbrook.
Locally, since 2008 Scarborough has spent $62,110 (@ $3/year per student) and received $981,000 worth of stuff.