Stratford man selling scrap metal for food to help others

Howard Blakeney is a popular man these days.

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The 66-year-old Stratford resident decided in January to post on community Facebook groups about selling scrap metal for money that he uses to buy food for those in need. Since then, Blakeney gets a lot more phone calls, house visits and private Facebook messages from those who want to help.

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He even had business cards made after getting stopped by strangers who recognized his “scrap metal for food” trailer around town.

“It’s taken off pretty well,” he said.

But this isn’t new for Blakeney, who grew up in Sudbury and was 15 when he started pushing a 45-gallon drum with filled scrap metal, often given to him from gas stations, to a company that would buy whatever he collected. Blakeney then, like he does now, used the money to help others while also buying food for himself and his adoptive parents, who raised him to give back.

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“It was something that was there that you could do,” he said. “Anybody can do it. You don’t need any experience, just go pick it up, cash it in and get some food.

“It’s working out pretty good.”

He kept selling scrap metal for food after moving to Stratford from Kitchener almost 40 years ago.

“I grew up poor,” he said. “I (lived) in housing in Kitchener and my kids grew up in housing here. . . so we’ve always been poor and always helped everyone.

“My doctor keeps telling me to retire because I wore everything out, and I keep getting back into it a year or two later. Gotta keep busy.”

Blakeney has helpers around the city. Ken, Cleo and Rose are his eyes and ears and sometimes hands in different parts of Stratford, whether it’s finding scrap metal or letting him know who needs a basket of pantry staples, fresh fruit and vegetables.

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“He has a heart of gold,” longtime neighbor Shelby Robinson-Ladd said. “He’ll help anybody and everyone, no questions asked. I see loads of cars pull up every day, and he’s open arms and welcomes them and lets them grab whatever they need.”

Blakeney gets whatever scrap metal he can each week and delivers it to a recycling company in Stratford. The amount he collects varies, as does the price, though scrap metal has become much more lucrative in recent years.

Blakeney then hunts down sales at local grocery stores. He has a pantry at home and also gets help from his friends until it’s time to make a delivery.

“There’s always been a demand,” he said. “It looks like it’s worse now.

“A lot of people don’t want people to know they need help.”

Now retired from his day job, Blakeney also sells scrap metal creations and woodwork, like birdhouses and bookcases using leftover material given to him, that he uses to keep his car on the road.

“There’s a lot of good people out there,” he said.

Blakeney has talked to at least one person in another city who wants to expand his scrap metal initiative, and he hopes others are inspired by his selflessness.

He’s not doing it for the attention.

“Make the world a better place to live,” he said. “That’s it.”

For more information, send Blakeney a private message on Facebook.

[email protected]

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