Carter Bank to host shredding event

Have some financial or other documents cluttering up the home or office which need to be disposed of in an effective way?

An opportunity to do so awaits Saturday at a bank in downtown Mount Airy, which also will include assisting a local charitable organization, the Helping Hands Foundation of Surry.

The free Community Shred Day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Carter Bank and Trust, located on the corner of Willow Street and West Independence Boulevard.

It is being co-hosted by the bank and Commonwealth Document Management, a shredding service based in Danville, Virginia.

“This event will give people an opportunity to safely and securely get rid of sensitive documents and papers like bank statements, tax returns and old checks,” according to an announcement for Community Shred Day.

It will be held rain or shine.

Organizers note that the shredding service is slated to run until 1 p.m., or until a truck deployed to the scene fills up with material.

Visitors are limited to eight boxes of spreadable material per vehicle.

Shredding documents containing one’s personal information reduces the likelihood of becoming a victim of identity theft.

That practice also protects the environment since paper-shredding companies typically destroy old records, bale the shredded waste and send it to a recycling facility to be made into a wide variety of paper products.

A spokesman for Carter Bank said Tuesday afternoon that Saturday will mark the first time a shredding event has been held at its lone branch in Mount Airy.

“We try to do a few every year,” Brooks Taylor added regarding its various locations.

Carter Bank is based in Martinsville, Virginia, and has branches in that state along with North Carolina.

Help for Helping Hands

As part of Saturday’s event, items will be collected for the Helping Hands Foundation of Surry Inc.

Preferred donations to the organization include food, monetary contributions, paper towels, dish soap, detergent, toiletries, diapers and wipes.

Helping Hands was launched in 2011 by local resident Nicholas Cooke, then 16, with the goal of providing utility bill assistance, food, toiletries and clothing to distressed local residents.

It also has partnered with local schools to provide supplies to children. The organization’s mission is “to create long-lasting solutions to end poverty and hunger while fostering individual pride and sustainability.”