Can-do attitude.

In honor of Homeownership Month in June, Americans were Invited to help ease the strain on millions of households by recycling aluminum cans through the Cans for Habitat program.

Since its inception in 1997, nearly 570 Habitat for Humanity International affiliates and 2,000 recycling centers have joined the Cans for Habitat program, a partnership between Habitat and the Aluminum Association, Washington. As a result, more than 7.5 million pounds of aluminum cans have been recycled by and for Habitat affiliates, generating $2.6 million, which has been used to build more than 56 Habitat houses.

"Cans for Habitat is a critical fundraising and awareness-building tool for Habitat for Humanity in countless communities across the country," Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity international, Americus, Ga., says.

Despite the success of Cans for Habitat, room for growth remains. In 2002, 50 billion cans were not recycled. This number could have built 11,111 Habitat homes, assuming the rate of one penny per can and that $45,000 is the average cost of building a Habitat home in the U.S.

In 2003, the Cans for Habitat program awarded $167,500 in grants to 17 Habitat affiliates throughout the U.S. as part of its annual competition. Grants were given to affiliates that successfully demonstrated their commitment to the program through innovative partnerships and efforts in recycling and publicity. More than $1.5 million in grant money has been awarded since the first grant competition in 1998.

More program information is available online at www.cansforhabitat.org.