Sunshine Coast couple turns containers into $20,000 donation for local cancer care
Most people wouldn't look twice at an empty bottle or can they pass on the street. But for Sunshine Coast couple John and Yvonne Tagg, those containers have helped raise more than $20,000 for a cause that's close to their hearts.
Through Containers for Change, the couple have donated more than $20,000 in container refunds to Bloomhill Cancer Care, the Sunshine Coast charity that supported their family after the loss of their son-in-law, Lorenzo, to cancer in 2008.
When Containers for Change launched in 2018, John and Yvonne found a simple way to say thank you: collecting containers and donating their refunds to Bloomhill.
Since then, 84-year-old John has collected eligible bottles and cans from neighbourhood streets and local residential buildings across the Sunshine Coast, returning them through Containers for Change and directing the refunds to the charity.
Over the years, those small 10c refunds have added up to something extraordinary.
"It's fantastic that all the containers we have collected have added up to this much. I enjoy getting out for a walk each day, cleaning up the local area and supporting a cause that means a lot to our family," Mr Tagg said.
Supporting local people through cancer
Bloomhill Cancer Care provides nurse-led, community-based cancer care for people of all ages across the Sunshine Coast.
The organisation supports people and families impacted by cancer through a range of personalised services, including nursing care, counselling, psychology, exercise physiology, lymphoedema support and transport assistance.
Since 2018, Bloomhill has received more than $37,000 in container refund donations through Containers for Change, with more than half of that total coming from John and Yvonne's efforts.
Bloomhill Cancer Care Fundraising & Community Engagement Lead Jasmine Wheatley said the couple's generosity showed just how powerful small actions can be.
"Bottle by bottle, John and Yvonne have turned the simple act of collecting and recycling containers into more than $20,000 of support for Bloomhill.
It's an incredible example of how small actions can add up to make a real difference for the more than 1,900 local people and families we support each year."
For John and Yvonne, it started as a way to give back to an organisation that had been there for their family during a difficult time.
Years later, their commitment continues to make a difference for people in the Sunshine Coast community facing cancer.
Their story is a reminder that sometimes the simplest acts can have the biggest impact. One container at a time, John and Yvonne have transformed something many people would overlook into more than $20,000 of care and support for others.
Support Bloomhill Cancer Care
Queenslanders can donate their container refunds directly to Bloomhill Cancer Care by setting the charity as their preferred payment method in the Containers for Change app or by using member number C10015434.
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