An Update from the Bottles & Cans Team

In November 2023, Stan & Dorothy Peck retired from the B&Cs operations. Under their direction over 9 years, the team raised (& spent) $128,000 with the redemption of bottles & cans. In December, the Bottles and Cans team held its final meeting.

From all over the Valley, and beyond, residents donate their redeemable bottles and cans by placing them in a shed behind the Church.  Those bottles and cans are then sorted and counted by volunteers and returned to redemption centers where the Church collects the deposits on them.  All of the money the Church receives is returned to people in the Valley in a variety of ways, for a variety of reasons. 

Just this year, some examples of the ways everyone’s bottles and cans have touched lives here in the Valley include:

Loads of Love - free laundry on Wednesdays 4-6 PM
School supplies
CSA shares for 5 families
Student Basketball registration
Victory Garden Project
Fund for vet/pet care expenses
School Nurse(s) Supplies
Sleds for children
Reopening supplies for childcare center
Summer camp playground equipment, toys, supplies and drinking water
Sand for childcare center sandbox
Emergency aid to fire victims
Clothing needs, such as pants, shirts, winter coats, boots, underwear and socks
Tuition for an enrichment program for a child needing a little extra help

And the list goes on……  

The Team is humbled to be able to receive the vast quantity of bags and boxes of redeemable bottles and cans resulting in thousands of dollars, a nickel at a time, that can be used to help our neighbors.  There are many “thanks for what you are doing” that are quickly offered when someone, dropping off at the shed, meets Stanley Peck, picking up at the shed. This project takes the commitment of many, including Stanley as he constantly empties the shed, sorts and counts the bottles and cans, preparing them for delivery to the Redemption Centers in Barre and Waterbury. 

Also, we are fortunate to have the help of Peter Delfausse, Pat Folsom, Gary & Arlie Belknap, Laura Caffry, Gerry & Lynn Kingsbury, Mike Kingsbury, Dorothy Peck and Gordy Eurich in providing transportation for load after load, week after week, to the redemption centers.  

Through this Project we reach out to let people know that they are not alone.

The Bottles and Cans Team,
Pat, Sandy, Susan, Dorothy and Stan