The Winston Churchill High School Interact club in Lethbridge is leading a bottle drive this month to help with relief efforts in Ukraine. (Photo supplied by Raiyana Shams, Winston Churchill High School Interact club)

By Justin Goulet

Winston Churchill High’s Interact club hosting bottle drive for Ukraine this month

Apr 7, 2022 | 7:45 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – High school students in Lethbridge are coming together to support Ukraine.

They are the latest of many groups and organizations across the world that have been showing their support for the people of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in late February.

This month, the Winston Churchill High School Interact club in Lethbridge is lending a helping hand. The club is collecting bottles until Saturday, April 30, 2022.

Funds collected from bottle donations will go to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ukraine Emergency Fund.

Raiyana Shams is the Interact club’s Promotions Lead. Shams and the club’s President Amanda Dang spoke with Lethbridge News Now about their fundraising efforts.

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The duo explained that the club will be collecting bottles from their school, as well as going door-to-door in the community. Residents can also bring their bottles to the GPS Container Depot on the west side of Lethbridge (872 Heritage Blvd. W Unit 10) or the depot’s northside location (613 13 Street N) and say they would like to donate to the Winston Churchill High School Interact club’s cause.

Raiyana Shams said, “We realized how critical the situation is right there right now, and our school principal, we all, we really wanted to help but we didn’t know exactly how to do that. As Canadians way across the world, we didn’t know how big of an impact we could make, so we thought that doing a bottle drive and raising even a little bit of money could go a long way.”

“We’re really trying hard to make an impact in our world, that’s a big dream of Interact, so if you could help out at all, that would be great.”

Amanda Dang told LNN that, “Canada has a large population of Ukrainian people, so there’s that obvious connection right there.”

“Our Fundraising Lead, Masataro Tatsuno, he suggested we donate to Ukraine to help out.”

The two students thanked every member of the Interact club, including Fundraising Lead Masataro Tatsuno and Community Service Lead, Steven Yang. On Yang, Shams said, “He’s done a wicked job of connecting with the Bottle Depot, and this fundraiser wouldn’t be possible without him!”

Those looking to find out more can email the club at winstonchurchillinteract@gmail.com and can follow the club on its Facebook page and its Instagram profile.

People can also donate cash by registering an account and donating through SchoolCashOnline.