In past years, Waste Management and Star City Sanitation have scheduled additional manhours to pick up discarded Christmas trees, but this year Pacelli High School is taking on the challenge.

Monday, December 11, 2000

In past years, Waste Management and Star City Sanitation have scheduled additional manhours to pick up discarded Christmas trees, but this year Pacelli High School is taking on the challenge.

"Because of the extra time and money it costs them every year, the hauling companies were glad to have us do it," Pacelli fundraising committee chairman Keith Leif said.

Pacelli ninth- through 12th-grade students will load residents’ used trees into 10 to 15 trucks and hay wagons on Jan. 9 and haul them to a farm north of town, where they will be turned into compost.

Leif predicts that 20 to 30 students will participate in the waste removal of 400 to 500 trees on the designated day. The school is asking for a minimum donation of $5 for each individual tree pick-up, Leif said.

"Pacelli is working with a balanced budget this year, so funds will be used for extracurricular activities, equipment updates or building projects," Leif said.

Donation forms are available in the Mower County Shopper and the Austin Daily Herald. However, Leif says that anyone can write their name, number and address on a piece of paper and send it with a donation to: Pacelli High School, Christmas Tree Pick Up, 311 Fourth Ave. NW, Austin, Minn. 55912. Any questions can be directed to Keith Leif at 433-6447.

Trees will only be picked up for those addresses that have been scheduled and where a donation has been received.

"I’d like to thank the volunteers in advance," Leif said. "It’s always so easy to get volunteers, since everyone is willing to help."

This is the first time that Pacelli has attempted this volunteer fundraising project, but they hope that it will become a yearly fundraising tradition.