Brother and sister bottle drive pays for month of food at B.C. Wildlife Park

A brother and sister from Kamloops have exceeded their fundraising goal of $10,000 for the B.C. Wildlife Park by collecting bottles and cans.

Gabrielle and Dimitri Armstrong of Kamloops have raised more than $10,200 for the wildlife rehabilitation centre and scored a private tour of the currently closed park. The park thanked the children, their parents, and all who donated to the recycling drive, according to a post on the wildlife park's Facebook page.

%%embed1%%

The park closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and feared financial shortfalls because of the lost revenues.

The executive director had considered selling or re-homing some of the animals due to the financial strain, which led to the creation of various fundraisers, such as a photography contest and by-donation grad photoshoots.

The park plans to welcome visitors back on June 1.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Jenna Wheeler or call (250) 819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Jenna Wheeler

Jenna Wheeler is a writer at heart. She has always been naturally curious about what matters to the people in her community. That’s why it was an obvious decision to study journalism at Durham College, where she enjoyed being an editor for the student newspaper, The Chronicle. She has since travelled across Canada, living in small towns in the Rockies, the Coast Mountains, and tried out the big city experience. She is passionate about sustainability, mental health, and the arts. When she’s not reporting, she’s likely holed up with a good book and her cat Ace.