Giving Back by Giving Away

This Saturday, there’s an easy way to get rid of your unwanted stuff and donate to a good cause at the same time. It’s the Shred It & Share It event, organized by Winchester real estate agent Sven Andersen and his team from . All donations go to the Mission of Deeds, a non-profit organization serving local families in need.

To participate, just collect all those personal papers you’ve been meaning to shred and haul them over to the Town Hall parking lot, where a mobile shredding unit from Shred-It will dispose of them from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, rain or shine. The shredding is free, though a cash donation to the Mission of Deeds is requested.

Furniture and household items will also be collected by the Mission of Deeds for local families. To find out which items are most needed and which  are not accepted, consult the Mission of Deeds website.

New to the event this year is the Green Network Exchange. “They’ll take any electronics you have,” Andersen said. “You’ve got a Blu-ray player but you have a VCR in the basement waiting because you don’t know what to do with it? They will take all of it.”

There will also be activities for children, including face painting, kids’ music, the RE/MAX cold air balloon, and visits from Elmo, Spider-Man, and Cinderella between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Andersen has been working with the Mission of Deeds for six years. He frequently connects the organization with his real estate clients, arranging for the Mission of Deeds to pick up unwanted furniture from home sellers before they move.

Andersen’s commitment to the organization was solidified when he helped the Mission of Deeds donate furniture to a family whose girls had been sleeping on the floor.

“They didn’t have anything, and the Mission of Deeds gave them beds,” Andersen said. “The little girl grabs my hand and says, ‘This is my bedroom.’”

After that, Andersen, a father of three little girls himself, wanted to do more than donate personally to the organization. He came up with the Shred It & Share It event, which raised $1,000 last year. This year, Andersen has a goal of raising $2,000. He has secured a matching donor and has been spreading the word about Shred It & Share It through a town-wide postcard mailing and other promotions.

“To me, it’s about helping a great organization raise money, in addition to giving back to the community. To combine those is a great thing,” said Andersen.