Download & Print
Courtesy photos
October 30, 2025
Bandera County 4H Clubs tackle a junk removal job
By Robert Brischetto
Don’t Make Waste Bandera
October 11 was designated by the National 4H Council as “One Day 4H,” a day of service. On that day, the Bandera 4H Clubs visited the home of Stella Martin in Bandera River Ranch.
The satellite disc on Martin’s roof was struck by lightning in 2023, causing a fire that destroyed electrical wiring in half of her home and ruining many of her belongings. She was not injured in the fire, but last year suffered a broken femur and, more recently, a heart attack. Struggling to make ends meet, Martin had stopped payments on home insurance prior to the lightning strike.
The burnt and soaked belongings were piled up in the front yard for almost three years while she sorted through what was worth keeping. A neighbor contacted Don’t Make Waste Bandera for help in clearing the driveway at the same time that Pipe Creek-Lakehills 4H Club was seeking a club service project for One Day 4H.
This project was then selected by the 4H County Council as the Bandera County 4H project for One Day 4H. Eleven students, nine parents, Bandera County 4-H Youth Program Coordinator Kara Spangler, and next-door neighbors Sheryl and Tom Cook joined Martin in her effort to clear and clean up the driveway, front yard, breezeway, backyard and back porch. By early afternoon, they filled a 20-yard dumpster and a large trailer of recyclable metal. It was truly a collaborative effort.
The same scenario of neighbor-helping-neighbor is being played out in Bandera County through the Yards Project, a joint effort by DMWB and the Silver Sage Hill Country Resource Center. During the Summer, Silver Sage surveyed its Meals-on-Wheels clients for those seeking help in clearing unwanted junk from their homes and lots. Twenty-one requests were received.
While the effort is executed totally by volunteers, there are costs involved in renting equipment and paying dump fees. A $10,000 donation from Pine Grate Renewables helped in covering costs of more than two dozen requests. The project is now receiving more requests. Since DMWB is a public charity, all donations for its projects—yards, recycling and support for road cleanups--are tax deductible. Support for the work can be sent by check to DMWB, PO Box 1181, Bandera, TX 78003.
Those wishing to volunteer can email [email protected]. More on their work can be found online at www.DMWB.net and on the Facebook page, Bandera Recycles.
The satellite disc on Martin’s roof was struck by lightning in 2023, causing a fire that destroyed electrical wiring in half of her home and ruining many of her belongings. She was not injured in the fire, but last year suffered a broken femur and, more recently, a heart attack. Struggling to make ends meet, Martin had stopped payments on home insurance prior to the lightning strike.
The burnt and soaked belongings were piled up in the front yard for almost three years while she sorted through what was worth keeping. A neighbor contacted Don’t Make Waste Bandera for help in clearing the driveway at the same time that Pipe Creek-Lakehills 4H Club was seeking a club service project for One Day 4H.
This project was then selected by the 4H County Council as the Bandera County 4H project for One Day 4H. Eleven students, nine parents, Bandera County 4-H Youth Program Coordinator Kara Spangler, and next-door neighbors Sheryl and Tom Cook joined Martin in her effort to clear and clean up the driveway, front yard, breezeway, backyard and back porch. By early afternoon, they filled a 20-yard dumpster and a large trailer of recyclable metal. It was truly a collaborative effort.
The same scenario of neighbor-helping-neighbor is being played out in Bandera County through the Yards Project, a joint effort by DMWB and the Silver Sage Hill Country Resource Center. During the Summer, Silver Sage surveyed its Meals-on-Wheels clients for those seeking help in clearing unwanted junk from their homes and lots. Twenty-one requests were received.
While the effort is executed totally by volunteers, there are costs involved in renting equipment and paying dump fees. A $10,000 donation from Pine Grate Renewables helped in covering costs of more than two dozen requests. The project is now receiving more requests. Since DMWB is a public charity, all donations for its projects—yards, recycling and support for road cleanups--are tax deductible. Support for the work can be sent by check to DMWB, PO Box 1181, Bandera, TX 78003.
Those wishing to volunteer can email [email protected]. More on their work can be found online at www.DMWB.net and on the Facebook page, Bandera Recycles.