VICTORIA -- Roots Reunited Sponsorship Group is looking for donations of bottles and cans during their upcoming bottle drive, which will help them sponsor a family from the Middle East looking to get to Victoria.
The group is working with the Intercultural Association of Victoria and has successfully brought one family to the city already. Now, they are working to bring the family’s relatives here as well.
They’ve raised $20,000 so far, but have a long way to go to reach their goal of reuniting two families torn apart by unrest.
“It’s a single mother with children, a family of seven that we are trying to help support to come here,” says Adam Bartosik, one of the members of Roots Reunited and the organizer of the bottle drive.
“We need to raise a total of $67,000; that’s essentially living expenses for them once they are here, so a place to live and food and so on, everything for the family to survive once they’re here.”
Bartosik, his wife and three daughters have been putting on numerous fundraisers to raise the money needed. The group needs to have $50,000 of the $67,000 total by September.
“Anybody can really do things to make a change in the world; there are lots of people that need a home for one reason or another,” says Bartosik. “We have a beautiful country and a beautiful city, a good place to live and maybe we can help some other people out.”
The bottle drive happens on Jan. 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4030 Lochside Dr., unit four. There will be donation bins out front and the family will guide those dropping off their bottles and cans. COVID-19 safety procedures, including masks and physical distancing, will be in place.
The family hopes to bring in roughly $500 to $1,000 during the bottle drive fundraiser and says anything people can donate would be appreciated.
More information about Roots Reunited Sponsorship Group can be found on the group’s Facebook page.
