More than 60 Lloydminster and area organizations have donation accounts set up at the Bea Fisher Bottle Depot, turning everyday recycling into community fundraising.
Read more: Lloydminster Bobcats name Chris Leeming as new assistant coach
The list reads like a directory of Border City life: service clubs, churches, sports teams, schools, theatre groups and youth programs all benefit from residents bringing their bottles to the depot.
“Often, we will promote donation accounts and bottle drives as two things the bottle depot can do to help a wide range of organizations, clubs, teams, etc. raise money for their activities,” says Kim Crockett, marketing and business development co-ordinator at Bea Fisher.
The model works. In each of the past couple of years, these fundraising options have helped groups raise over $100,000, according to Crockett.
Who benefits
The current list includes more than 60 groups spanning every corner of community life.
Youth sports teams like Barons Basketball and Football, Border Blades, Lloydminster Youth Basketball Club, Riptides Swim Club and multiple volleyball teams including 17U Momentum and Rustler’s U15 Women’s Gold all have accounts.
Schools across the region participate: Bishop Lloyd Middle School, Holy Rosary High School, Queen Elizabeth School, Rendell Park School, St. Joseph School, St. Thomas School, Jack Kemp School, Neilburg Composite School, Lashburn High School and Shine Christian Academy.
Service groups include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lloydminster, Girl Guides of Canada, First Lloydminster Scouts, 186 Air Cadets and the Lloydminster Judo Club.
Churches with accounts include 1st Baptist Church Lloyd Youth Group, 1st Lutheran Church, Acts Church Lloydminster, Mosaic Church and St. John’s Anglican Church.
Arts and culture groups like Lloydminster Little Theatre, Centerstage Studios and Spotlight Theater Kids Association also use the service.
Community support organizations on the list include Border Paws/SPCA, Lloydminster Play & Learn Daycare Society, Men’s Shelter, Kitscoty Community Cabin 4 Kids Society and The Goat’s Christmas Wish.
Even 4-H clubs, including the Durness 4-H Beef Club and Durness 4-H K-9 Club, raise funds this way.
How it works
The depot offers two fundraising paths. Groups can run organized bottle drives where volunteers collect and sort, or they can set up standing donation accounts where community members drop off bottles year-round in the organization’s name.
The standing accounts work particularly well for schools and teams with consistent community support, turning routine trips to the bottle depot into ongoing fundraising.
The Bea Fisher Foundation, which operates the depot, has long supported Lloydminster organizations through events like its annual pickleball tournament and other community initiatives.
The bottle depot fundraising model represents a different kind of support — infrastructure that lets dozens of groups raise money independently, every day of the year.
For residents wondering where to donate their bottles, the full list of participating organizations is available at the depot or by contacting the Bea Fisher Foundation.
Read more: Thousands attend 36th annual St. Walburg Wild Blueberry Festival
