Barkley Bridge students are on a mission and they are asking the community for help.  

Students are collecting pop tabs to benefit families with sick children who seek the help of the Ronald McDonald House. Barkley Bridge students collected 365 pounds of pop tabs in 2020 and 462 pounds in 2021, the top elementary school in the competition both years. The goal this year is 950 pounds of pop tabs. 

The nonprofit Ronald McDonald House cares for up to 73 guest families every night, keeping them together while their children receive medical treatment at nearby hospitals. 

According to the RMH website, in addition to providing a comfortable bedroom, families are surrounded with love and support from volunteers, staff and other guest families who share the same hopes and fears. Home-cooked meals, activities, indoor and outdoor play areas, laundry facilities, computers, WiFi, and much more are also provided so that guests can concentrate on what is most important — family. 

It takes $125 per night per family to operate the Ronald McDonald House. However, families are not required to pay a room fee and no family is ever turned away for their inability to make the minimal donation.  

Students in Kim Jared’s third and fourth grade classes are committed to helping their grade win the friendly competition, and have looked for pop tabs to donate in some pretty odd places.  

Whitlee Letson said she has looked for pop tabs while visiting a haunted house. Jackson Wagoner has dug through the trash in search of the recyclable goodies. He found eight tabs to add to his collection, and said he made sure to was his hands. Lilly Sloan found 10 pop tabs on a family trip to the beach.  

Declan Jackson said has a winning strategy. He said he is collecting pounds of pop tabs at home and will bring them to school right before the April deadline.  

Ryker Johnson said even though it’s fun to compete against his fellow students, it doesn’t matter which class wins because they all share the same goal: collect as many pop tabs as they can to benefit the Ronald McDonald House.  

To meet their goal of nearly 1,000 pounds of pop tabs, Barkley Bridge students are counting on the community to get involved.  

Pop tab donations can be dropped off at the school, located at 2333 Barkley Bridge Road SW. To arrange a pop tab donation box for your place of business, contact Jared at kim.jared@hartselletigers.org.