“Support from the surrounding area blew us away,” Ron Devost said during a volunteer shift at the empty bottle return depot operated by the Royal Canadian Legion Br. 445 Callander.
Wearing Legion face coverings, Devost and Chuck Parr were on duty Wednesday when BayToday.ca dropped by to talk about how important the depot has become as a revenue generator.
The Callander Legion gets a 15 per cent commission for each beer or liquor bottle collected when someone drops off their load and collects their deposit. But when someone donates their bottles they get the full return on top of the depot operator cut. It adds up quickly. Devost said donations and commissions combined brought in $7,400 between March 15 and June 30.
People from across the region, he said, were dropping off empties when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions forced beer and liquor outlets to close their doors and limit bottle returns.
“We had to empty the outside bin three or four times a day,” Parr said, noting they couldn’t staff the depot until restrictions were lifted when stage 3 openings came into place July 3.
Donations are continuing now, partially due to lineups at the Beer Store and limits on how much people can bring to collection points.
But Devost and Parr said some people are returning now because they say it’s an easier and quicker option. People drive and park without having to get out of their vehicles because volunteers retrieve them from their trunk or back of trucks.
People who are clearing out their cottages of empties and groups raising money through bottle drives consider them the best place now to do their returns. After this past weekend, Devost said they were full to the rafters and had to ask the Beer Store to pick up a major load.
Their only problem now is getting enough volunteers to cover the schedule. Devost said most of their volunteers are his 67-years or older and have to attend doctor appointments or attend to other life priorities, etc.
“They don’t have to be Legion members,” he said, describing how most people think that volunteering in the depot requires additional commitment. The shifts are for only three hours, he said, either 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday. Several volunteers do it as couples while others use it as a way to have time away from spouses, he joked.
Nancy Birtch, formerly of North Bay and now living in Callander, was dropping off a few empties and said she likes the convenience and the cause.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Birtch said, noting it helps the Legion as it struggles through without being able to host large gatherings. “It’s a great way for people to help them survive through the tough times.”
Marc Picard, Br. 445 president, said the bottle return proved to be a blessing for the Legion this year.
“Really, the bottle return is what kept us alive, people were very, very generous,” Picard said, describing they still had bills to pay when closed for several months.
They lost the revenue usually streaming in from hosting weddings, stags, celebrations of lives, and the popular Friday night dinners.
The bright side was they could do the renovations a $10,000 federal grant allowed and the facility now has new carpets in the lounge and paint on the walls, plus upgraded plumbing and electrical.
Also improved during the shutdown, Picard said, was the front entrance plant display. Ralph Schutz of Schutz Landscaping donated his time and retaining wall bricks for the garden.
The next best source of income is their drive-thru boxed supper events, he said. More than a couple hundred pre-ordered fish and chip dinners will be served this Friday for $15 each. The next one is Oct. 9 offering a pork schnitzel dinner. Call 705-752-3773 or 705-471-3773 to pre-order by Oct. 1.
Also for sale are the Legion-branded face coverings with a choice of large or small available. They cost $10 and the Legion retains $2, Picard said.
