The Iowa Waste Reduction program recently helped some of the families who were hit by flooding in Clay County.
Iowa Waste Exchange Coordinator Shelly Codner says they were able to send unneeded mattresses and beds from Iowa State University to Spencer. “It’s actually a program by the After Five Kiwanis in Spencer. It’s called “Sweet Dreams for Spencer”, and they’re trying to get a bed and a mattress to every child whose families lost their homes during the flooding.
The Iowa Waste Reduction Program was created to find ways to use items that are no longer needed to keep them out of landfills. Codner says the beds from ISU filled an important need and was an economic benefit to Spencer as the community did not have to purchase the mattresses and beds. Codner says Sukup Manufacturing donated the trucks to move the beds. “Sukup went down to Ames and picked up the mattresses. We loaded them with Iowa State staff, myself, and volunteers, and then Sukup hauled them up to Spencer, and they had volunteers on that end that unloaded them,” she says.
Codner says this was one of the more rewarding projects they worked on, knowing the need for those who have suffered from the flooding.