Peggy Revell
For those wanting to help out two causes, Safe Communities Rainy River District (formerly the Rainy River Valley Safety Coalition) is looking for partners in fundraising to help sell its environmentally-friendly reusable bags.
“We’re looking towards teaming with anybody who is interested in getting these things going,” noted administrative co-ordinator Grace Silander.
“If anybody is interested to put them in their businesses or to take them for us, we’ll put cans, we’ll do whatever it takes,” Silander stressed. “We’ll keep them stocked. We’ll do the work and they’ll just be the avenue or the spot for pick-up and sale.
“We’d love to do that.”
Currently, people can get the bags by approaching any member of the safety coalition, such as the Northwestern Health Unit, or herself.
But Silander hopes they can branch out with places where the bags are available, such as at the Civic Centre.
“We’re even interested in teaming with one of the schools,” she remarked. “If they’re interested in promoting environmentally-friendly programs or whatever, we can team with the kids, too.
“We love working with kids, it would be wonderful!” she enthused.
The bags originated after the coalition’s 2007 report card from Safe Communities Canada which suggested the environment should be one of the things looked at, Silander explained.
The bags, which are navy blue in colour and bear the Safe Communities’ logo alongside “I’m helping to support safety in our communities,” are large and deep with a wide bottom that groceries can be packed very well, Silander said.
“We’re selling them for a toonie, and every penny of that goes into programming in the communities,” she noted. “Really what it is is a win-win situation, where you’ve got environmental enhancement yet we also get safety programming in the community for kids
or whatever.”
