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Dec 13, 2020
Des Moines (AP) The elderly woman stopped almost weekly at the Pella Can and Bottle Redemption Center. But until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, owner Sheri Cunningham never knew why.
Then one day last spring the woman approached with tears in her eyes, thanking Cunningham for remaining open.
“She said she’s retired, and her husband had passed away,” Cunningham recalled. “She said she uses the money she gets, about $20 each time, to help buy food. She has heart problems, so the majority of her retirement money goes to medical bills.”
As Cunningham was talking to the woman, another customer listening in joined the conversation. He said the nickels he gets for each can and bottle he brings in help pay for his insulin.