Ontario bottle drive raises money for leukemia research

Toronto, Ont. – The Beer Store has launched its annual Returns for Leukemia campaign, a fundraising initiative in partnership with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 12R24.

On May 28 and 29, 2011 customers are urged to return their empty beer, wine and spirit containers to the Beer Store and donate all or a portion of their container deposits to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.

In 2010 the bottle drive raised $1,065,000, and more than $3.2 million has been raised over the last five years. “Our goal for this year is to raise another $1 million and recycle even more containers,” says Robert Edwards, president of Local 12R24.

“One hundred per cent of the funds raised are used to fund promising blood cancer research at medical institutions across the country and provide support to patients and caregivers,” says Lorna Warwick, senior national director for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.