Coronavirus: Bottle drive raises money for the Lakeshore General Hospital

Mike Lecours dropped off 1,600 refundable cans and bottles at Provigo Le Marché in Kirkland on Sunday, but instead of pocketing the money, it was donated.

“My wife said, ‘Let’s clean up the garage and get those out there’,” said Lecours. “We don’t need it as much as other people do.”

Throughout the day, dozens of local residents pulled up in front of the store, popped their trunks and dropped off their refundable items.

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Staff from the Lakeshore General Hospital Foundation and volunteers safely sorted through the cans and bottles.

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All of the proceeds went to the foundation’s COVID-19 campaign.

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“We’ve bought everything from cloth robes to specific eye goggles that some of the departments need to different types of protective face shields and masks,” said Heather Holmes, the foundation’s managing director.

On the other side of the parking lot, a Beaver Tails food truck was also donating $1 for every item bought on the menu.

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“It’s life-saving help,” said Holmes. “Every five cent can, every beaver tail purchase and every small donation we get online — it all adds up into our big picture — it’s crucial.”

As of Sunday, the regional health authority said the Lakeshore General Hospital currently has 53 cases of COVID-19.

For those who donated to the foundation, they say, it’s the least they can do to help.

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“To help out locally, that’s an awesome thing to be able to do in a crisis,” said Kelly Danaher. “And it’s a great service to us too, so it goes both ways.”

The foundation says they’d like to be able to organize another bottle drive like this one in the near future.

By the end of the day, it raised more than $2,000.

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