The collection of cans, bottles, and plastics for Can Assist hits the three-year mark in April 2026 and so far has raised more than $23,000 to support local families managing cancer treatment and care.
Steve Pinney has continued to put his time and energy to work for the benefit of others and this work culminated in community recognition where he received the Town Care Award at this year’s Australia Day Ceremony.
Steve’s work in raising funds for Can Assist is an integral part of their fundraising efforts with volunteers chipping in from Can Assist to assist with counting all the cans, bottles, and plastics collected locally.
As well as raising funds for Can Assist and awareness of this great charity, the Cans for Can Assist Initiative also helps our environment.
The impact of the 230,000 containers that have been recycled so far has saved enough energy to power 571,955 hours of tv and avoided carbon emissions equivalent to 185,532 kms of driving, and water savings equivalent to 150,214 minutes of showering.
Steve likes to have a goal to work towards and his latest target is to reach a total of $25,000 in donations to Can Assist by the end of April 2026. To do this, he needs the continued help and support of our local community. It’s time to get behind Steve and help him reach his new target.
A couple of local businesses who have been supporting the initiative were recently presented with a Certificate of Appreciation. “We wanted to recognise the support of Jan and Graeme at the Harden Country Motel and their housekeeping team, and Cathy from AtHair. Both organisations ensure regular donations keep coming in.” said Can Assist Harden-Murrumburrah President, Carol Barker.
“If you have an event coming up and you would be interested in being involved, please contact Steve and he will arrange bins or baskets for you to use. He will drop-off and collect for you, or you can drop off to some of the yellow bins that appear around our twin towns.”
“These bins were able to be purchased through a generous grant from GrainCorp in 2024 and have really helped raise awareness of the opportunity our community has to donate containers to support Can Assist’s valuable work.”
Unfortunately, there has been instances recently of a person or persons removing entire bin loads of containers before Steve has a chance to collect. This sort of behaviour is about as low as it gets as the money from Steve’s efforts end up going to those suffering from Cancer in the township. If you see any suspicious behaviour, you can report it discreetly to police. Bins liners have recently been removed from McLean Oval and Robert’s Park.
Steve said “I don’t understand how a person could be comfortable taking from a charity trying to raise funds to support local families and I hope this doesn’t keep happening. If needed, we will look to put a padlock on some of the bins, but that will mean it is not as easy for people who want to lift the lid and pour a box full of containers directly into a bin. So, I’d prefer not to do that”.
Hopefully, the recent instances of someone removing the cans from Can Assist collection bins will stop and the installation of padlocks can be avoided.
Interested in finding out how you can help?
There are lots of ways the community can continue to support the Cans for Can Assist initiative and help it reach the target of $25,000 by end of April.
You can call or text Steve Pinney on 0422 284 962 and he will come and collect, or you can drop off into labelled bins at the back lane of 44 Scott Street, out the front of McLean Oval, at Murrumburrah Showground, Robert’s Park, or behind the Mechanic’s Institute.
Carol said “We welcome anyone who would like to become a Can Assist member and volunteer to help with this initiative. Steve has undergone two cancer battles himself in the past two years and it would be great to have more people willing to help count containers ready for pick-up.”
“This initiative has raised more funds than I think anyone imaged it could when Steve first started collecting for Can Assist in 2023” said Carol. “It’s great that so many people are willing to donate containers when they have events such as big birthday celebrations or weddings and we also really appreciate the support of local businesses and people who regularly donate their containers for this great cause”.
If you would like to help Can Assist reach the target of $25,000 by end of April 2026, please consider donating your used cans, bottles, or plastics. Or join Can Assist as a volunteer. Everyone is welcome to be part of something that is making a difference to local families battling cancer.
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