The residents of Kamsack were able to contribute to the Kamsack Volunteer Fire Department (KVFD) just by fuelling up their vehicles on September 18.
More than 180 local organizations and causes across Western Canada are fuelling good after more than $600,000 in donations were generated from Co-op, said information on the Internet.
The funds were raised as part of Fuel Good Day on September 18. During the day, a minimum of five cents of every litre of fuel sold at participating Co-op Gas Bars was donated to a local charity or non-profit organization. In Kamsack, ten cents of every litre sold was donated to the KVFD.
This was the second annual such event sponsored by the Co-op to give back to the community.
鈥淟ast year our donation benefited Paws and Claws, an organization that has branches in Yorkton and Kamsack,鈥 said Amber Serverson, Co-op gas bar manager. 鈥淭his year every penny raised stayed right here in Kamsack.鈥
鈥淐o-op鈥檚 Fuel Good Day is a rewarding effort that has now raised nearly $1.2 million for local organizations over the last two years,鈥 said Cal Fichter, vice-president of energy with Federated Co-operatives Limited, which is owned by more than 170 independent retail co-operatives across Western Canada.
鈥淐o-op has a long history of serving Western Canada and we are proud to build on that with investments like this. With the help of Co-op members and customers, we are able to make a significant contribution that will benefit communities of all sizes across Western Canada,鈥 he said.
More than 400 Co-op Gas Bars throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwest Ontario participated in this year鈥檚 Fuel Good Day.
Ken Thopmson, acting fire chief, and Wayne Snyder, volunteer firefighter, were at Co-op on October 2 to receive a cheque in the amount of $1,371 which represented ten cents per litre of fuel sold on September 18 plus the proceeds from a breakfast and barbecue held in conjunjuntion with Fuel Good Day.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank the Co-op for this donation,鈥 said Thompson. 鈥淲e are debating on how to put the funds to the best use and have narrowed it down to help with the purchase of a chainsaw with a carbide-tipped blade or a thermal imaging camera.鈥
A complete list of charities and local co-operatives that participated in Co-op鈥檚 Fuel Good Day is available at www.fuel.crs.