BottleDrop, which has a location at Fred Meyer in The Dalles, is collecting donations for the Maui United Way to provide immediate relief to those affected by the recent wildfires.
BottleDrop, which has a location at Fred Meyer in The Dalles, is collecting donations for the Maui United Way to provide immediate relief to those affected by the recent wildfires.
OREGON — The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC), which operates the BottleDrop network, has announced it is engaging its emergency fund to support wildfire relief efforts in Maui and is inviting Oregonians to use container donations to support the cause.
“The Hawaiian Island of Maui has been devastated by wildfires that have claimed dozens of lives, destroyed property, and ravished thousands of acres of natural areas,” said a press release. “Having adopted the nation’s most recent Bottle Bill, Hawaii is a ‘sister state’ to Oregon in employing a deposit return system to reduce litter and improve recycling outcomes.”
Through Aug. 31, BottleDrop is encouraging its Green Bag account holders to make donations from their BottleDrop accounts to the OBRC Emergency Fund to support Maui’s wildfire relief efforts. OBRC will match up to $25,000 of total donations.
BottleDrop account holders can direct their donations by visiting BottleDrop.com/Maui and logging into their accounts.
Oregonians can also donate OR 10-cent redeemable cans and bottles directly to this effort (and have their funds matched) by taking them to any BottleDrop Redemption Center and letting staff on site know they would like to donate them to support the wildfire relief efforts in Maui.
“It feels powerless to see the terrible news from Maui, where wildfires have claimed lives and devastated communities,” said Eric Chambers, vice president of strategy and outreach at OBRC. “Efforts like this show that Oregon’s Bottle Bill can empower everybody in the state to be part of the solution and come to the aid of their neighbors, near and far.”
Donations will be directed to Maui United Way, which is working to provide immediate relief to families and nonprofits directly affected by the Maui fire disaster. Wildfires in Maui have claimed at least 96 lives, wounded dozens of individuals, and caused the destruction of hundreds of structures.
“At OBRC we wanted to find a way to help those impacted by this tragedy. Oregon and Hawaii share a special connection through our Bottle Bills, and this effort will provide Oregonians with an opportunity to leverage the positive power of bottles and cans to help people in immediate need,” Chambers said.
OBRC will also be making an Emergency Fund donation to the Oregon chapter of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, which helps support injured firefighters, as well as families of firefighters killed in the line of duty.
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