Tyler Junior College and other local businesses are in a race to see who can collect the most potty paper (toilet paper) through the month of March.
P.A.T.H. (People Attempting to Help) and AAA Sanitation have teamed to up sponsor this event. AAA Sanitation has donated Port-O-Potties that have been recycled and cleaned for the purpose of collecting the donations. These Port-O-Potties were then placed at several locations in Tyler.
These locations are TJC, Broadway Square Mall, the square in downtown Tyler, Tyler Recycling Center and all Smith County Brookshire’s and Super 1 Foods stores.
Each of these businesses has decorated the Port-O-Potties and will be judged at the end of the competition. The winner will receive a unique trophy.
In 2009, 7,000 rolls of potty paper were collected from participating businesses. P.A.T.H. was able to give out potty paper for four months, because of these donations. As of March 15, half way through the drive, P.A.T.H. had already received over 11,000 rolls of potty paper. At this rate, donations will more than triple the donations from last year and P.A.T.H. should be able to give out potty paper for an entire year.
“This is a fun way for volunteers to get involved and to help out low-income families in East Texas. We see more than 100 families a week that are seeking our help. Right now we are running very low on potty paper,” said Mitzie Avera, the administrative director of P.A.T.H.
TJC’s Port-O-Potty is located in front of the Rogers Student Center. This collection bin was hand-painted and decorated by the Student Senate of TJC. Any donations are appreciated. In order to win this competition, TJC will need several thousand rolls of potty paper.
“We are partnering with P.A.T.H. for the whole month of March to show our support for the community. We plan to raise more toilet paper than any other business out there,” said Austin Witherspoon, the president of the Student Senate.
Several large companies, like Brookshire’s, have donated generous amounts of toilet paper to begin this project. Toilet paper is one of the few necessity items that cannot be purchased with food stamps. This is why it is so crucial that the community contributes to this cause.
“It’s so easy to take the things we use in everyday life for granted. Such small things, like toilet paper, make a huge difference. I couldn’t imagine living without a necessity like this,” said TJC student Haden Riggs.
For more information about the Port-O-potty Pick-Up, contact the Center for Student Life and Involvement office at (903) 510-2797 or visit the P.A.T.H. Web site at http://www.tylerpath.org.
