Skip to content

Expanded Scout bottle drive Saturday

The 5th Garry Oaks’ hope to raise $4,000—80,000 pop cans would do the trick
15020853_web1_190104-OBN-ScoutFundraiser_1

The 5th Garry Oaks Scouts’ hall is being repurposed this weekend into an almost full-scale bottle depot.

This weekend is the local Scouts’ annual bottle drive, and the goal is to raise $4,000. That translates into 80,000 empty pop cans. Usually they can count on raising at $2,500, but this year the drive is expanding their pickup range into most of south Oak Bay.

LOOK BACK: 5th Garry Oak Scouts return from Canadian Jamboree

“It’s our largest fundraiser of the year, all of the money that we raise with this bottle drive stays with the Garry Oaks,” said Lucy Mears, Group Registrar and Beaver Scouter. “It helps with our programming, it helps with things such as keeping the maintenance of our scout hall, buying tents, to helping our youth get out there and have adventures. We have about 80 youth this year.”

Oak Bay residents might have noticed yellow flyers left by the Scouts. Those who received flyers need only to leave their bottles on the porch and volunteers will pick them up during the day Saturday.

“We’ve doubled our routes this year,” said event organizer Annmarie Scanlan-Gough. “Before it was just north Oak Bay, and now we’ve done north Oak Bay and south Oak Bay. So there’s going to be 90 routes instead of 52.”

Mears asked residents to ensure bottles are not left on public property, and have a note specifying that they are for the Scouts.

“Unfortunately, people put them out on the curb and other people know about our bottle drive, and they come along and take our bottles,” Mears sad.

REMINDER: Oak Bay firefighters recycle Christmas trees this weekend

Those who live outside the pickup zone are asked to drop bottles off at Fireman’s Park Saturday Jan. 5, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.. Oak Bay’s firefighters will also be there recycling Christmas Trees.

Jesse Laufer [9:37 AM]



jesse.laufer@oakbaynews.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter