As people gather for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, we are asked to consider collecting drink tabs for wheelchairs. 

Bob Barrow of Steinbach says many people do not know that the Tabs for Wheelchairs program still exists in Manitoba. 

When Barrow tells people about the program, he is often asked why they do not collect the entire drink can. 

“Well, some people do,” he says. “There’s a group at Paradise Village, they’ll take all the cans and any kind of scrap metal, but they have to clean the cans to get the residue out of them. Otherwise, they attract bugs and flies, and they smell.” 

The donated tabs are sold with the money used to pay for wheelchairs that accommodate specific needs of the children who get them. 

Barrow points out that children will need new wheelchairs as they grow. This program helps relieve the financial burden for many Manitoba families. 

“And there’s a lot of individuals that donate cash,” Barrow says. 

The cost of each wheelchair depends on the requirements for each person. 

“Last year, the most expensive wheelchair that we gave away was $25,000,” Barrow says.  

Some chairs have a basic design while other chairs will offer more options to the user. 

He tries to do his part by picking up tabs from several collection sites in the Southeast, saying there are many churches, schools and businesses participating. 

“I've been in it for six years. I have 140 containers throughout the Southeast, grocery stores, gas stations, beer vendors, hotels, schools and senior centers,” he says. “And they're all doing very, very well.”

Donation bin for drink tabs.Drink tabs are collected at 140 locations across the Southeast.