Sequim's Sam Manders, second from left, brings in more than 350,000 pop tabs to the Ronald McDonald House in Portland, Ore., with some help from executive director Tom Soma, left, and communications manager Chad Greenwood. Submitted photo

Eight years and still going strong.

Sam Manders of Sequim is a familiar contributor to the Ronald McDonald House through the charity's Tab Top Program. In his eighth year, Manders collected 209.9 pounds or 355,990 individual tabs.

At the Ronald McDonald House, workers assist families with housing while their children are being treated for illness at one of three hospitals in Portland, Ore.

The house is adjacent to the Doernbecher Children?s Hospital, Oregon Health and Sciences University and the Shriners Hospital. Many families and patients who are eligible for outpatient status are able to save a bundle of money by living at the house.

The house has televisions, computers, board games and books for youths, plus laundry facilities and a huge kitchen with volunteers helping each week to prepare dinners for weary families.

Manders, 15, started collecting the tab tops in 2005. His first collection brought in 1,581 pop tops. By 2008, his collection totaled 50 pounds worth of tab tops. Last year he collected nearly 440,000 tab tops.

Since the Seattle McDonald's doesn't have a tab top program, Manders and mom Kathrin Sumpter travel to the Ronald McDonald House in Portland.

Sumpter notes that Manders got plenty of help this year, as people also donated cash that went for paper products for the house.

Sumpter said a number of local residents and organizations helped with Manders' efforts in 2011: QFC in Sequim, Janet Abbott and others at the George Washington Inn, Joanne Alford and others at the Peninsula Friends of Animals, Chrissy Amundson, Kathie Blanton, Blue Sky Real Estate, Karen Boyd, Jo Candler, Clallam County, Clark Culver, Patrice Davis, Kelly Dowell, Frick Drugs, Greywolf Elementary School, Eric and Kathy Fehrmann, Kathyrn and Neal Fridley, Neva Fowles, Linda Frick, Donna Gallaher and others at the Sequim Prairie Grange, Carol Gates and others at Agnew Helpful Neighbors, the Sequim Gazette, Mrs. Gilbert, Nadine Gilden, Marguerite Glover and others at Peter Black Real Estate and Nancy Goldstien.

Also, Dorothy Hall, Judy and Roy Harniss, Christlyn Hill, Diane Horton, Nancy Kohn, Gary Laxson, Ingrid Lehrer, Janie McDermott, Renate Melvey, Sue Noe, Oasis Bar & Grill, Candy Olmer, Anne Olsen, Jan Reichel, Jay Richmond and others at Seventh-day Adventist Church, Mary Sanderson, Deanna Schrader, Sequim Auto Clinic, Sequim Martial Arts, Betty Sofie, Hilary Steeby, Gail Sumpter, Dan and Linda Tash, Katy Thompson, Debra Trussel, Pat Vautier and Margaret Yates.