Staff writer
Warren Vincent has been a familiar face in Marion over the last year as he collected aluminum cans in parking lots for Kansas Honor Flights.
He’s been doing the same in seven other counties, but the time has come to scale back.
“Marion has been a great venue and supporters have filled the trailer almost every Saturday we showed up,” Vincent said. “At 63, I have decided to scale back and return to just a McPherson County mission. I’m not retired and need to focus more on our family cleaning business.”
Since March 2011, when Warren began working to send veterans on Honor Flights, he has collected enough aluminum cans to fund 70 World War II, Korean, and Vietnam veterans’ Honor Flights. Each three-day trip to Washington to visit memorials costs $700. In 2016 alone, he and supporters funded 20 veterans’ trips and recycled 16.8 tons of aluminum cans.
Warren is scaling back to operating the program in McPherson County. He has donation sites in McPherson, Canton, Lindsborg, and Moundridge.
People who want to support Vincent’s project for honor flights can take them to a for-profit recycler and send the money to Kansas Honor Flight, P.O. Box 2371. Hutchinson, KS 67504, or mail checks made out to Kansas Honor Flights to Warren Vincent, Cans 4 Kansas Honor Flights, 107 Quail Run, McPherson, KS 67460.
Allmetal Recycling, 401 W. 1st St., Newton, pays cash for aluminum.