The Wareham Recycling Drop-Off Center has been on the precipice of shuttering its doors a number of times, but thanks to a $10,000 donation, that won't be a worry for awhile.

The $10,000, donated by the estate of Hilda Leveen, is enough to keep the volunteer-run center going for the next two years.

"We take about $3,000 in returnables, it costs about $8,000 to run the place," said recycling center volunteer Earl Russell, referring to the redeemable cans and bottles the volunteers cash in to help fund the recycling center.

There are some stipulations to the donation, including that the money be used only to run the recycling center.

Also, the money may not be held in the town's general coffers. It must be held in a separate account, and any money spent must be approved by the Wareham Recycling Committee.

When Town Meeting reconvened to vote on budget articles in June, money to fund the recycling center was not included in the town's budget.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan explained that the town simply didn't have the extra funds to cover costs associated with the recycling center.

"The town itself just can't afford to do it anymore," said Sullivan. "It's a program that can't fund itself through its program revenue, and unfortunately, we can't support it."

Sullivan added that the inability to fund the center was not reflective of some sort of anti-recycling agenda on the part of the town: "Not giving the recycling committee money doesn't mean we're against recycling."

Russell says that a visit from the attorney who administers the estate of Hilda Leveen was a game changer for the center.

"Like the Arch Angel Gabriel dropped out of heaven. We were a few weeks away from closing," said Russell.

Russell expressed relief that people will still be able to recycle in Wareham, rather than going to neighboring towns, and noted that about 150 people drop in to the center each week.

"This donation was just out of the goodness of someone's heart," said Russell.