Inside SCARCE, where discarded wares get a new lease on life [Video]

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — This week’s Difference Maker is SCARCE, located in suburban Addison, takes what’s old and makes it new — and sustainable.

Kay McKeen is the founder of SCARCE, which stands for School and Community and Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education.

“Books are scarce for kids around the world,” McKeen said. “Clean water is scarce, healthy air, healthy soil, so it has kind of two meanings. We do a lot of education, and we do a lot of rescuing.”

When McKeen says they do a lot of rescuing at SCARCE, she means it. THe organization is a gold mine of donated school books and other school supplies, such as paper, scissors, crayons, musical instruments, and just about anything that can be saved and used for teaching.

We spent some time looking over musical instruments.

“Unfortunately, a lot of schools have to charge rent for instruments,” McKeen said. “[At] some of the schools, it’s $40 per month to rent a …