Junior Farmers boost food bank accounts in Eganville and Cobden

Eganville – The Eganville and Cobden food banks will be going into the new year with a nice extra amount in their bank accounts, thanks to a recent donation from the Renfrew County Junior Farmers (RCJF).

On Monday, Alex Wytenburg, President of the RCJF, delivered cheques for $1,650 to both Bonnie Helferty at the Cobden and District Food Bank and Carol Boudreau at the Eganville and District Food Bank from the profits of the RCJF’s recent 2021 bottle drive.

Mr. Wytenburg said he would like to thank the many “thirsty” donors who gave their empties, noting these donations will help the food banks have a good start to 2022.

“The local Junior Farmers have been hosting bottle drives in December and late May for several years now, with all funds raised going back to local charities and resources across the county,” he explained.

“With COVID-19 restrictions, we transitioned into curbside pick-ups and have had increasing success with well over 22,000 cans counted and returned, along with several thousand bottles.”

Mr. Wytenburg said the club generally operates with about 25 members, aged 15 to 29, who hail from different parts of the county. Previous to bringing in the curbside pick-ups, the members’ residences were used as drop-off points for the collection. Mr. Wytenburg said it’s the members who select who the benefactors are, noting recipients in recent years have included the Bernadette McCann House and the Robbie Dean Family Counselling Centre, both in Pembroke.

He said the items they collect are cans and bottles from sales at either the LCBO or Beer Stores. He explained while the cans simply have to be counted, the bottles must be sorted according to size and colour. While the program requires some work, he said club members thoroughly enjoy the routine, knowing the work is helping others across the county.

The items collected are returned to the Beer Store in Renfrew for depos- its, with Mr. Wytenburg expressing his thanks for the assistance they receive there.

“The Renfrew Beer Store staff is great, just as long was we give them enough notice,” he said.