Car batteries stolen from 4-Hers

The Ponoka East 4-H Club can be seen throughout the year raising funds for their programs; one of the ways they do this is to collect items such as used oil filters and car batteries for recycling.

The club had collected and readied 60 car batteries, worth almost $1,000, but was in for a surprise when it realized the batteries were stolen.

Keith Kjenner assistant leader for the Ponoka East 4-H Beef Club, said the theft happened sometime in November after they had stacked the batteries on pallets, which were stored in a farm yard northeast of Mecca Glen School.

All that was left of the batteries was the plastic wrap and the pallets they were stored on.

“Whoever took them was sneaky about it,” he stated.

Kjenner recently reported the theft to Ponoka RCMP when their recycler came to collect the batteries, and he has spoken to nearby battery recyclers to inform them of the theft, but has not heard if the culprits have been caught.

The difference may be in the batteries themselves.

Thirty-five of them were special six-volt batteries in a glass case with a reddish brown cover. They are used for a rechargeable home power system and Kjenner hopes their different look will help narrow down where the batteries were sold.

The club uses the money toward the 4-H Foundation for club events and to help offset costs involved with their programs. They usually raise $3,000 to $4,000.

“We lost a third of our income,” Kjenner stated.

Time involved collecting individual batteries made it difficult for club members to accept as well, Kjenner said parents take time to drive children to collect them and “the kids were disappointed because they spent all that time.”

Call Ponoka RCMP at 403-783-4472 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 with any tips on the battery theft.