Las Animas Volunteers Deliver Record Tabs, Support Families in Need

Donna Leonetti and a group of volunteers known as the Tabulous Team transported a record setting donation of aluminum pop tabs to the Ronald McDonald House in Colorado Springs on December 19, 2025. The collection topped last year and reached roughly 1,050 pounds, packed into barrels and driven out of Las Animas County to support the nonprofit house that shelters families of hospitalized children.

The drive, described by local organizers as a long running community effort, drew participation from across county lines and from neighboring states. Barrels filled in small town businesses, schools and private homes were consolidated for transport, illustrating a grassroots operation that turns a simple household habit into sustained charitable funding. The tabs are recycled and the proceeds help underwrite lodging and emergency assistance for families who must leave home to access specialized pediatric care.

For rural residents of Las Animas County, the donation has practical meaning. Families who must travel hours for treatment face lodging costs, lost wages and logistical strain. The Ronald McDonald House model offers a safety net that reduces financial and emotional burden, supporting continuity of care for children and easing the indirect public health impacts of long distance travel for medical services.

The Tabulous Team effort highlights how volunteerism and small scale giving can address gaps left by limited rural healthcare infrastructure. In counties with sparse hospital services and stretched social supports, community led drives provide resources that are otherwise difficult to secure. The multi county and multi state participation in this collection demonstrates regional solidarity and the cumulative power of routine, everyday actions.

Organizers said the drive will continue, with volunteers encouraging ongoing contributions of pop tabs and assistance with collection logistics. As healthcare systems and policymakers evaluate how to support families who travel for care, local efforts like Leonetti’s remind officials and funders that preserving small but reliable funding streams can make a tangible difference in access and equity for rural patients and their families.