The Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department is holding its ninth annual can tab collection event to benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children. Second Assistant Fire Chief Tim Cappel says they collect tabs not only from local businesses and individuals, but other area fire departments, as well.

Aluminum can tabs twisted off cans or aluminum bottle caps are being accepted. Cappel says each year, many of the same people or organizations collect tabs for the cause. Many local businesses and restaurants are also helping collect the tabs, which take a while to accumulate, just to make a pound of aluminum. It takes 15-to 16-hundred tabs to make a pound.

Cappel says over the past nine-years, they’ve collected over 14,561 pounds, which means $10,000 has been redeemed by the Shrine Hospitals for the AFD’s efforts. Cappel says the department has a great relationship with the Shriners organization in Altoona, which has helped the grandson of local family recover from severe burns. Shriners are committed to providing the best care for children in specialty areas of Orthopaedics, Burn Care, Spinal Cord Injury, and Cleft Lip and Palate, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

The Atlantic Fire Department will be collecting can tabs at the Depot this (Thursday) evening, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in front of the Depot on north Chestnut Street. If you can’t drop off your tabs this evening, you can drop them off at any other time at the Atlantic fire station, any fire station in Cass County, Cappel’s Ace Hardware and other participating businesses.