J. P. Mascaro and Sons, a solid waste removal company with headquarters in Audubon, announced Wednesday a pledge of $10 million to fund educational programs, scholarships, and grants for students and teachers in area schools over the next five years.
“My father and company founder, Joseph P. Mascaro, a man of limited education himself, was a strong proponent of education in others. He firmly believed a well-rounded education to be the key to individual and societal development,” said company President Pat Mascaro in a release. “Our company has been actively involved in this segment of the community for many years, and we are happy to be in a position to increase our level of participation.”
The $10 million pledge will almost double the $6 million the company has already donated to schools in recent years. The programs range from environmental education tours of the company’s waste treatment plant to the Respect Program, which offers interactive assemblies to students focusing on respect of parents, teachers, the community, and the environment.
Bill Fox, an attorney for Mascaro, said the environmental tours have become so popular that Mascaro purchased a school bus to accommodate the 3,000 to 4,000 students who visit the plant each year. The tours not only serve as environmental field trips for elementary schools, but also as a destination for Montgomery County Community College students looking for research opportunities.