A Successful Second Annual Great Prairie Bottle Harvest!

It was another fantastic year for the Great Prairie Bottle Harvest and the 85 organizations that participated. Congratulations to all the groups, teams, clubs and organizations who promoted their drive, hung door knockers and collected beverage containers to raise funds for their cause. Your efforts paid off, and we’re proud of all your success!

The last weekend in September was the kick-off for this year’s Bottle Harvest, but since the best drives are well-promoted drives, Alberta Depot and the registered clubs got started early. We made sure groups had plenty of support for their social media channels, and we mailed out over 500 door knockers as soon as they signed up. When communities know they can easily support a local cause by setting out their empty beverage containers, the response is often overwhelming. The key is getting the word out ahead of time!

This year, we were fortunate to be on-site as one of our community partners held their collection event. The Calgary Fire Midget AAA Girls’ hockey team set up their fundraiser at Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary before their season opener – making it easy for friends, family and supporters to donate their empty beverage containers. Thankfully, Bowness Bottle Depot was ready with their commercial-size collection truck – the team raised over $550! Check out this video to learn more about the team and see the girls in action as they nearly fill the truck to its roof!

Calgary Fire were also one of three winners in the Great Prairie Bottle Harvest’s draw for $500. We love hearing stories from the organizations that raise funds through this event, so to show our appreciation, groups that shared their stories with us had the chance to win a little extra for their cause. Congrats to the other two winners - Kihew Asiniy Education Centre and Tour for Kids Alberta, as well!

The success stories don’t stop there – check out what these clubs had to say about this year’s Bottle Harvest:

"Even though we had a small crew of workers, the five students collected over $765.00 worth of bottles. The students will be using the money to fund their year-end camping trip." ~ Darla Kurylo - Junior High Teacher at Drayton Christian School

"These boys had some fundraising to do to be able to enter a couple tournaments they'd like to go to over this hockey season. They met at the arena on Saturday, September 28, 2019, completed an hour practice, had some lunch and hit the streets to gather bottle donations. They were bursting with energy to be able to talk to people, explain their cause, and gather what people were willing to give them. Their goal was to raise $1500.00 to enter the first tournament and after this bottle drive they came in at $1900.00! They were so excited to have raised that much money, that they have scheduled a second bottle drive for the new year to raise the remaining $1100.00 to enter the second tournament. The staff at the Drayton Bottle Depot were a breeze to deal with and thank you to the Great Prairie Bottle Harvest for sparking the idea of holding a bottle drive." ~ Joanne Carter - Drayton Valley Minor Hockey Atom A Team

These numbers really make our day! Collecting empty beverage containers is a worthwhile fundraiser that anyone can use. Plus, it keeps beverage containers out of wildlife habitats and landfills, all while creating jobs for Albertans. Win-win…win!

At Alberta Depot, our favourite part of the Great Prairie Bottle Harvest is connecting with the inspiring groups that participate. From organizations that support Albertans with disabilities, to youth groups raising funds for mission trips, the volunteerism we see is making a difference at home and around the world. 

Alberta Depot has everything you need to organize a bottle drive to raise funds any time of the year. Click here for more information, or head over to our FAQ page for answers to some of the most common bottle drive questions. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for up-to-the minute updates on Alberta Depot community events and initiatives.