Pop Tab Palooza returns to Jackson to support families with hospitalized children

JACKSON, Tenn. — Pop tabs may be small, but they can make a big difference for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

Ronald McDonald House in Jackson says something as small as a pop tab can add up to big support for families with sick or injured children. They’re asking the community to start saving tabs now ahead of Pop Tab Palooza on May 8. Caitlyn Pettigrew, Hospitality Manager of Ronald McDonald, says every pop tab helps.

“From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., it’s an event where we just celebrate the community’s hard work and gathering and collecting pop tabs. You can just come by, get it weighed, and see how much you have collected. We recycle the pop tabs at the end, and that money goes directly back into supporting the house,” said Pettigrew.

It takes approximately 1,267 small pop tabs to make a pound. The Ronald McDonald House provides a free place for families to stay while their child receives medical care that can be walking distance from the Jackson Madison County General Hospital and right now, they’re turning everyday pop tabs into dollars to help keep those services going.

Breanne Huguenard, Regional Director of Ronald McDonald, explains how fulfilling it is.

“Think the most fulfilling part of opening for, I guess, it’s been almost a month now has been being able to provide housing for families that live over an hour away. Um, then being able to be bedside quickly and easily back and forth has been awesome, being able to serve them, um, in that way, and just be able to, hopefully, relieve some of the burden of having a child that’s sick or hospitalized,” said Huguenard.

They continue to say they are excited for Pop Tab Palooza which is on Friday, May 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ronald McDonald House, 518 West Forest Avenue in Jackson.

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