Arts and Scraps
All those extra coffee cans, felt scraps, video tapes, and aluminum foil that's often headed to the trash have a home at Arts and Scraps. The East side non-profit takes in unused materials from local businesses and residents, then creates art projects for educators to teach with.
Yasmin and Daja during their class field trip to Arts and Scraps
A glimpse of Arts and Scraps packed storeroom
Peg Upmeyer co- founded Arts and Scraps 21 years after seeing the need by teachers for basic materials that could be used in hands-on school projects. As a former teacher herself, Upmeyer had also witnessed the waste of usable materials by households and businesses. They've moved 4 times in 21 years, Upmeyer says the hardest part in the beginning was getting people to understand what Arts and Scraps does, "21 years ago, saying 'we want what you throw away to recycle it into materials for kids' was not in the mindset like green is right now. Now, when we call a company and ask for materials, it means something."
She says they've done a lot of business in the last few years, due to the economy. Large chain stores are cleaning out warehouses full of stuff to save on rent and Arts and Scraps's own storehouse has doubled in effect. Their target is under-served kids, Upmeyer says they'll often have boxes of mismatched crayons which volunteers will divide into dozens of small packets for children who may have never been given a new set before.
Arts and Scraps takes anything that's small, clean, and safe for kids to handle. Find out how to donate or volunteer at ARTSandSCRAPS.com.
