A Guelph man who developed a business that has helped raise over $130,000 for HOPE House, is now in need of help from the community.
Ed Ross, the owner of Scrapgoat, was in a car accident Monday. While Ross and the other driver were not injured, the truck Ross uses was totalled.
In an email statement, his wife Elizabeth 'Bettylou' Ross said her husband plans to continue collecting scrap metal has rented out a cube van until Thursday afternoon. They are hoping to purchase a new, used van by setting up a GoFundMe page. To contact Ross or Scrapgoat to help, click here.
"He does not want to put the service on hold," she said further on in the email.
Since starting his service five years ago, Ross has collected over $130,000 worth of scrap metal and glass from the community.
“There’s not tons of people who can do the scrapping,” said Ross about Scrapgoat, “You have to have a vehicle, the time and a willingness to do it.”
The way it works is Ross receive calls to pick up scrap, which is then sorted and exchanged for money. All of the money is then donated to HOPE House, with businesses and residents receiving a tax-receipt form HOPE House for their contribution.
Ross mentions he collects two truck loads a day doing this job.
“A lot of construction companies like it because they don’t have to pay to get rid of it, instead they get a tax receipt,” he said. “Apartment buildings, and that sort of thing, supers (superintendents) love it, because I take it away and they don’t have to deal with it.”
Ross mentions receiving some interesting items over the years, including an almost working motorcycle.
“We just sold it last week,” recalls Ross, “He restored it and so, we would’ve maybe got it for $200 as scrap metal … and after expenses, HOPE House got $900 for it.”
Recently, Scapegoat gave a $32,000 donation to HOPE House, which is being used to repair some stairs leading into their building on Norfolk Street,
“They were tilting and they were condemned as unsafe,” said Ross, “So it has to be reset, re-poured and rebuilt.”
A former maintenance volunteer for HOPE House, Ross said part of his deal with the charitable organization is that half of the money is contributed toward building improvements, while the rest goes toward their services.
“Nobody takes care of the background stuff, and since I was in maintenance, I got to see that,” he explains.“We thought that was very fitting, considering goats are known for climbing rough terrain, and those stairs can be steep and rough terrain," said Jaya James, the executive director of HOPE House.
Besides repairing the stairs, she mentions there is also masonry work that needs to be done, and a flat roof they would like to install over an addition to the building, which HOPE House purchased last April.
Having seen a 34 per cent increase in clients over the past year, the repairs are necessary to keep their services available throughout the pandemic.
“That’s the reason why we have our Sustain HOPE Campaign going on right now,” explains James, “And our Sustain HOPE Campaign is all about upgrading the building and making it more accessible and doing some of that key, long-term maintenance.”
She adds organizations like Scrapgoat are an example of how the Guelph community thinks outside the box to find ways to support others.
“Ed found something he is passionate about and gives him joy and also helps his community,” said James, “It allows many members of the community to support the rest of the community as well.”
