Harwood Interact student bottle drive to support Waterbury Senior Center

January 29, 2021  |  By Waterbury Roundabout  

File photo.

The Harwood Rotary Interact Club’s next fundraiser will be a bottle drive during the week of Feb. 8 with proceeds going to the Waterbury Area Senior Center. 

There will be a dropbox at Harwood Union High School accessible on Tuesday, Feb. 9, and on Friday, Feb. 12, between 7:30 and 8 a.m. On Saturday, Feb. 13, there will be a collection at Hannon Home Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Rodney’s Rubbish recycling and transfer station near the Ice Center in Waterbury will also accept donations of bottles and cans anytime until Feb. 13. Be sure to tell staff there that you are donating to the Harwood Rotary Interact Club drive. 

The club thanks Waterbury Rotary member Ron Gulyas who has graciously offered to pick up returnables from anyone who cannot drop them off. Contact him with an email to buzzerman12@aol.com. 

Interact Club advisor Ellen Berrings said that students chose the Waterbury Area Senior Center for this fundraiser because the organization is in need of support as it weathers the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The center’s mission is to enrich the lives of older people by providing services and activities that sharpen their minds, improve their physical and emotional health, and help keep them active, independent, and involved in life. 

While it has offered many activities in the past including in-house home-cooked meals, Meals on Wheels, low-impact exercise classes, bingo, movie nights, and more, the center was forced to close its doors when the pandemic hit. Because of public health restrictions on gatherings, the center has been unable to resume its regular activities and in-house meals. 

But they continue to deliver Meals on Wheels to about 75 area residents. This allows many seniors to remain safely in their homes during the pandemic while receiving a home-cooked meal. The daily contact helps to combat isolation which is an ongoing concern for seniors and has been exacerbated by the pandemic. 

For any questions about the bottle drive, contact club advisor Ellen Berrings at eberrings@huusd.org.