Residents who want to prevent identity theft can take advantage of a free Community Shredding Event from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, sponsored by Verimore Bank.

The drive-through event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 10 in the north parking lot of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, 1600 Route 291, Liberty, Mo. Residents are invited to bring up to five boxes of paper. The event is for personal shredding only, not businesses. Only paper will be accepted.

Thieves and scammers can use information on personal and financial paperwork to steal money and identities.

“We investigate a growing number of identity theft cases, so we wanted to provide the community with an opportunity to securely dispose of documents that could have personally identifiable information on them,” Sheriff Will Akin said. “We’re able to provide this at no cost to residents because of the generous support of Verimore Bank.

“Helping the community keep information safe and secure is important to us,” CEO & President Kristie Stuewe said. “We hope our customers in Kearney and North Kansas City will join the rest of Clay County in taking advantage of this great event organized by our wonderful Sheriff’s Office.”

The Federal Trade Commission recommends how long to keep and when to shred the following documents to protect your identity:

Immediately