Members of the Athabasca Filipino community have raised $7,200 to help support victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines Nov. 8 and left millions in the country displaced, including the friends and family of at least eight Athabascans.
The $7,200 is being divided amongst those eight members of the Filipino community, giving them $900 each to send back home to those who were affected.
Of that figure, more than $2,000 was generated from a Nov. 30 bottle drive alone: $1,800 in bottle donations and more than $300 in cash donations.
The Filipino community collected bottles and brought them to the Blue Heron Bottle Depot in Athabasa.
Rod Cunanan, an Athabasca resident originally from the Philippines, helped spearhead the fundraising efforts.
“I was a bit discouraged early in the morning (Nov. 30), hovering around town seeing only a few bags by the curb,” reflected Cunanan. “After 15 minutes, we didn’t want to stop. We filled our very first load. As we got to the depot, unloading our second load, one lady with a truck full of bottles unloaded her stuff and said she’s donating it all.
“All we can do is say thank you over (and) over again.”
Cunanan was expecting to raise at least $1,600, making for about $400 apiece (at first he was only aware of four families who needed support).
On Nov. 30, with “14 people, four vehicles, and one good cause,” members of the Filipino community canvassed the Cornwall area, knocking on doors. Once the truck was filled, they headed to the bottle depot, then back out again.
“A big thank-you goes to all who donated cash, cheque and cans or bottles for this cause,” said Cunanan.
More than 5,000 people were killed as a result of the typhoon, which affected 15 million and left four million displaced.
