During the height of the coronavirus pandemic,
Michiganders were unable to return their bottles and cans for the ten-cent
deposit paid on each. After three months
of beverage consumption, many people just wanted the bags full of plastic,
glass, and aluminum out of their houses.
With that in mind, Abby Premoe’s brainstorming idea and volunteers of SI
of Trenton Area netted $3150.50 in deposit redemption after collecting 25,000
cans and bottles. Shared Facebook posts got the word out. New member, Roni
Drakos, undertook the tremendous task of chairing this fundraising event. Cathy Infantado drove around picking up
donations and taking them to storage areas.
Many garages, sheds, and storage units were filled to capacity until all
of the bottles and cans were systematically collected, sorted, and returned to
various stores by several Soroptimists.
Tessa Smith and husband Doug cashed in over 18,000 empties! Former member and Soroptimist supporter,
Catherine Teifer offered her property to store the final collection of bottles
and cans. She most generously matched
the amount raised up to $2500. Theresa
Bizoe, Director of Philanthropy and Capital Projects at First Step accepted the
$5000 check on behalf of First Step, a safe-haven house for victims and
children of domestic and sexual violence.
If you are interested in learning more about
the Trenton Area Soroptimists and our other activities, check out our page on
Facebook@Soroptimist Trenton, MI or sioftrentonarea@gmail.com.