LEHIGHTON, Pa. — The Lehighton Fire Department is looking for help from the community, and you don't have to empty your pockets, just your recycling cans.
"It's nothing we have done. We actually got the idea from the Aquashicola Fire Company here in the county. They have been doing it for 20 years," explained Rodney Rehnert, a firefighter and Water Rescue and Recovery team member. "Reached out to them. They were making about $2,000 on it a year, so we figured it would be a good fundraiser for us to start."
The department is collecting used aluminum cans for the Water Rescue and Recovery team.
They've been a part of the department since the 1960s with no dedicated funding.
"We've been called into service a lot. I think the last two years have been very busy for us as water activities on the river and Beltzville Lake and several other bodies of water in our area get more popular," said Justin Markell, a Lehighton firefighter and Water Rescue and Recovery team member.
This is the first fundraiser for them in more than 10 years.
Money raised from the cans will go towards updating and maintaining equipment.
"Equipment always costs money. You know, keeping up with the technology is costing a lot," said Lehighton Fire Chief Patrick Mriss.
Starting Saturday, people can dispose of their aluminum cans at the borough garage and put them inside the black cage trailer.
"If you can collect enough cans, you can drop them off either weekly, monthly, annually. We don't care. Every little bit counts," Chief Mriss said. "Even if it's one can that you save every week, it's all going to save up over the course of the year, and we can get a return on those recycled cans."
The fire department hopes to keep the fundraiser going for several months.