OBRC raises $125K for Ukrainian relief efforts

With the help of residents across the state, the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) raised more than $125,508 in donated bottles and cans over the last three weeks to support Ukrainians in crisis through Oregon’s Bottle Bill.   

A total of $75,508 came from residents donating Oregon bottles and cans with a 10-cent redemption rate, and the rest was matched by the OBRC. The funds will go to Mercy Corp., a relief organization based in Portland, Oregon, and its relief efforts in Ukraine, Poland and Romania. The money will be used to assit refugees find food, medicine and clothing.  

“We were watching the situation in Ukraine and wondered what we could do about it,” says Eric Chambers, director of external relations for OBRC. “Bottles and cans can be a really powerful tool to cause positive change. We wanted to create a way that made it easy to help with the situation in Ukraine and we came up with this fundraiser.”  

The fundraiser ran from March 21 through April 10. The OBRC, the operator of the BottleDrop network, invited Oregonians to drop off 10-cent redeemable bottles and cans and donate the value to Mercy Corps’ Ukraine Fund. BottleDrop account holders also could make donations directly to Mercy Corps from their BottleDrop accounts.   

The OBRC matched the donations one-to-one from its Emergency Fund, initially offering a match of up to $25,000. The organization doubled it when it saw the outpouring of generosity from Oregonians. In the final tally, between customer donations and OBRC’s match, more than $125,000 went to Mercy Corps’ humanitarian support for Ukrainian refugees.  

More than 4 million people have fled Ukraine since Feb. 24, according to the United Nations, leaving their homes, possessions and livelihoods behind. This makes the war in Ukraine the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. The United Nations estimates that 10 million Ukrainians, a quarter of the country's population, could be displaced both inside and outside of the country.