COLD LAKE - On June 23, the Cold Lake Marina was abuzz with activity as local divers and volunteers gathered for a unique event aimed at cleaning up the lake while raising funds for the local food bank. The event, dubbed "Diving for Hunger”, ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and was organized by Stuart Dunnill, a professional diving instructor at Dunnill’s Diving Services.
“We typically call it a Diving Against Debris, (DAD) for short, but wanted to put a twist on it so we could remove garbage and debris from the lake and do a fundraiser for the local food bank,” Dunnill explained.
The initiative began with coordination efforts involving Nic Caron-Lavoie, the local food bank manager.
“We contacted Nic, and started planning,” Dunnill said. “We had the City of Cold Lake assist us in financially sponsoring us, allowing us entry to the fish cleaning area to stage and renting us a barbeque for the barbeque fundraiser.”
The barbecue fundraiser offered a hamburger or hot dog and a pop for $5.
The event saw an impressive turnout with eight divers and numerous shore support volunteers. Together, they managed to remove 2,046 pounds (930 kilograms) of garbage from the lake. The haul included two truck engines, a truck differential, a truck bumper, a commercial fishing engine sprocket, metal objects and pipes, oil cans, vape pens, cans and bottles, twelve fishing lures, twenty-three tires—including two tractor tires, truck and car tires dating back to the 1950s, numerous airplane tires, and various other odds and ends.
Dunnill was thrilled with the outcome, noting, “We raised approx. $1,550 for the food bank plus a couple of boxes of food that was dropped off. We were very fortunate to have Scott Cyr, our local MLA, come and show his support as did a few of the city council members. We are looking forward to making this an annual event as we still have quite a bit of debris down there and every storm shows more and covers other pieces up.”
The event underscored the community's dedication to environmental stewardship and showcased the impact of collective action in supporting local causes. Dunnill hopes to see it become an annual event.
