This 86-Year-Old Made $400K Recycling and Donated It All to a Children's Charity
Recycling is obviously one of the best things you can do for the environment, but Johnny Jennings from Ringgold, Georgia, might be the Mother Teresa of the green movement. The 86-year-old has been collecting paper and aluminum cans all over his town since 1985. Then he donates the money to the Georgia Baptist Children's Home, a ministry dedicated to helping children in difficult situations.
When Georgia resident Shay Love learned of Jennings' good deeds after calling the Children's Home one day, she took to Facebook to share his story.
"Mr. Jennings has worn out three trucks and countless sets of tires," she wrote. "In 2016, Mr. Jennings donated just enough money to make his grand total donated $400,000.00! Yes, you read that right." Her post has gone on to receive more than 18,000 likes and 45,000 shares.
She also shared Jennings' recycling "stats," which are pretty impressive:
His progress in 2016 alone...
Paper sold: 401,280 lbs (201 tons)
Aluminum cans: 51,565
Pennies collected: 32,040
And his grand total over the past 32 years...
Total paper sold: 9,810,063 lbs
Total pennies: $20,275.20 = 24 miles
Trees saved: 79,000
According to Love, Jennings has had two mini strokes, but not even health problems can stop him from completing his weekly recycling route. He tells everyone he will continue to recycle "until the undertaker turns his toes up!" Every year, Jennings delivers a $10,000 to $15,000 check to the charity at its annual board meeting, and in 2016 his cumulative donations hit $400,000.
When informed about the viral post, his son told ABC News, "I wish they would just stop that."
"My dad doesn't see the $400,000. He sees the faces of those kids," said Jennings, who added that his mom and dad have become parental figures to thousands of kids from the Georgia Baptist Children's Home.
"He is the last of a dying breed," wrote Love. "Our generation and the ones to follow could learn a lot from Mr. Jennings."
[h/t ABC News]
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