Town Raising Money for Retiring Trash Collector's Medical Bills

Reston residents have joined forces in the last 24 hours to help raise money for a community staple who’s served the town for longer than many of its residents have been alive.

After 41 years as the owner of Reston Trash, a garbage collection service in town, John Hasle told RestonNow earlier this week he is retiring due to “worsening health problems.”

Upon learning of Hasle’s retirement as well as his reasoning behind it, the town responded in a way only a tight-knit community like Reston could.

Reston resident Elizabeth Vandenburg created a GoFundMe page to collect donations to supplement the cost of Hasle’s medical bills. The initial cap for donations was set at $1,000, but due to such an immediate and dramatic response from the community, that cap has since been raised to $2,000.

Vandenburg’s page for Hasle had raised $1,825 of that $2,000 as of 10 a.m. Thursday morning, a mere 23 hours after the page was even created. What’s better is that money came from only 24 donors, resulting in an average donation of more than $76 per person.

The page is still operating and accepting donations. To donate to Hasle’s fund, click here.

Image credit: Elizabeth Vandenburg/Patch file photo