Community Shred Day

I might throw a ticker tape parade for whoever came up with the following novel idea. A Huntington business is offering to shred any of your documents for free next Saturday. I’ll be there with a few boxes. Check out the press release:

Raymond James Financial Services and Shred-it will be hosting a community “Shred Day” on Saturday, June 6, 2009, from 11 am – 3 pm (rain date: Sunday, June 7). Local residents and business owners are invited to get their home or business paperwork organized and help to prevent identity theft by bringing their obsolete documents to 75 New Street in Huntington Village where Shred-it will have their specially equipped truck on site to destroy documents free of charge.

Attendees are invited to watch as their documents are instantly destroyed by one of the giant Shred-It high speed cross cutting machines. Susan Pearlman and Greg Kennedy of Raymond James Financial Services will be available to offer tips and resources on how to guard against identity theft and to answer questions about financial planning. They will also provide information to determine how long to keep your personal and business records.

Identity theft is the fastest growing form of consumer fraud in North America. It is estimated that a victim of identity theft spends approximately 200-600 hours and up to $1,500 to restore their identities and credit histories. Shred-its trucks contain cutting-edge proprietary technology that can safely dispose of business or personal papers that are no longer needed. Other items that can be shredded include computer discs, credit and ATM cards.

Community Shred events increase the knowledge of identity theft, making our communities safer places to live. Shredding personal information is a key step that individuals can take to prevent becoming victims of identity theft. The destroyed documents, in the form of confetti-sized pieces, will be transferred to a recycling facility, where they return to the marketplace in the form of items such as recycled household paper products.

Blog originally posted at LI Entrepreneurs.com