Belvidere Township, Paper Recovery Services hold annual Shred Day

By Matt Helm

Reporter

BELVIDERE ─ The Belvidere Township and Paper Recovery Services held the 8th Annual Shred Day on Saturday, April 23 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

“People are hesitant and don’t know what to do with their income tax returns and files around this time of year,” Belvidere Township Supervisor Patrick Murphy said. “Our motto is ‘shredding your past to protect your future.’ The numbers get bigger and bigger every year. We are doing a service for the community and I feel good about it.”

Belvidere Township Residents were able to bring up to 100 lbs. of paper to be shred for free.

“The first year I did it by myself and I got so tired out that I cried for help and I’ve had my volunteers ever since,” Murphy said. “We have it down to a science now. This site is convenient for a lot of people. It’s been crazy packed and we’ve had cars lined up since before 9.”

Over the past eight years the Township has shred over 39,490 lbs. of documents and served more than 1,334 households.

“It’s busy but we like it that way,” traffic volunteer Vicki Masse said. “It helps protect your identity to shred instead of using the garbage. We will probably get more than 300 people throughout the day. We just like helping the community.”

The Township splits costs with Alpine Bank.

“We won’t spend more than a thousand dollars for everything and I think that it is a big return for the people on the Township,” Murphy said. “The volume is greater every year and this year could very well be a record breaker.”

The Belvidere Township will hold a clothing drive on Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

“We work with Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful for the clothing drive,” Murphy said. “People bring their unwanted clothes. Just like Shred Day, this is just a convenient and central location for an event like a clothing drive.”

On Saturday, June 11 from 9 a.m. until noon the Belvidere Township will hold a medication collection.

“Professional pharmacists come and accept the medication and take it with them,” Trustee Kathy Grove said. “The services the Township offers cover a wide expanse of time, so there’s opportunities for people with all sorts of different schedules to come through.”

The Belvidere Township serves the community in a variety of ways.

“The Belvidere Township serves three functions,” Murphy said. “We maintain 90 miles of roads. We provide assessment for the Township and general guidance for people who come to us and qualify for help with things like rent and emergency medical.”

Visit www.belvideretownship.org for more information about the services and functions of the Belvidere Township.