For 2020, Christmas and New Year’s was done a little differently for everyone; however, one thing that may remain the same is that your collection of cans and bottles increased slightly over the holidays.
If this is the case in your home, the Martensville & District Lions Club have a solution for you by offering contactless pick-up or a Drop N Go option at SARCAN. All proceeds that the local Lions Club raises through this will be used towards helping bring two guide dogs to local families, which will include a hearing dog and a service dog.
There are several different types of dog guides that are provided through the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, including; Canine Vision for people who are blind or visually impaired, Hearing for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Autism Assistance for children who have autism spectrum disorder, Service for people who have a physical or medical disability, Seizure Response for people who have epilepsy, Diabetic Alert for people who have diabetes with hypoglycemic unawareness and Facility Support for professional agencies assisting individuals in traumatic situations.
Each year, the local Lions Club hosts the Pet Valu Walk for Dog Guides; however, due to COVID restrictions this year, the walk was done virtually instead, which unfortunately hindered the total amount that is typically raised through this event – bringing in only approximately 30% compared to other years, which was a similar scene nationwide. More information about the Walk for Dog Guides can be found by visiting www.walkfordogguides.com.
Since beginning the bottle drive in November of 2020, the Lions have managed to raise approximately $2000, but still have a long way to go. “Each dog guide about $25,000 to raise, train and place with a client at about two years of age. This year, virtual walks have not been as successful as the real walk, but we still have 300 dogs in training and waiting to be placed with clients as soon as restrictions are lifted,” Doug Ward, Martensville & District Lions Club Secretary, explained.
If you are interested in donating your bottles and cans to the Martensville & District Lions Club, contact Doug at (306) 491-8914 or Maria at (306) 290-6766. You can also donate through SARCAN Drop & Go using the name Martensville Lions Club or customer number 057302053.
“Thank you to Martensville and area for your support in the past and hopefully things will get back to normal soon. We want to wish everyone a happier and better year in 2021 and hopefully see you at our regular walk on May 30th this year,” Ward stated.
