GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Humane Society of West Michigan (HSWM) announced Sunday that a bottle drive held in April of this year raised the nonprofit over $20,000.
In the beginning of the year, the HSWM had to cancel fundraising events due to COVID-19. However, when stores had to suspend bottle returns, the organization saw an opportunity. It soon started a bottle return drive called "Recyclables for Rescues" to raise funds for the shelter and its animals amid the pandemic.
"Everybody's got bottles we figured," said Megan Ellinger, the events coordinator of the HSWM, when the drive ended in April. "I personally have a Meijer bag at home, so that's kinda where my mindset was and obviously it blew up and people have been bringing trash bags."
Not long after the start of the bottle drive, the HSWM received so many bags of cans and bottles that it ran out of room to store them, and the fundraiser was stopped early.
RELATED: Humane Society of West Michigan ends bottle and can collection due to outpouring of support
Months later, on Aug. 23, the organization went to Facebook to share the overall earnings.
“The program was so successful we filled our training room and had to discontinue collection early,” the post reads. “Today, we're overjoyed to announce that with your help we've raised $20,374.90…. The funds raised through Recyclables for Rescues could cover 5,094 animal microchips, 679 days of care for an animal, or 407 spay/neuter surgeries.”
The HSWM is entirely donor funded, and 100% of the money from the deposits is going toward supporting the organization’s mission and helping animals in need.
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