A volunteer medical transport service has received a significant donation from a collective fundraising effort from regional Save-On-Foods grocery stores.

By offering customers the opportunity to round up transactions at the till, Save-On-Foods stores in seven locations across the East and West Kootenays collected a total of $33,722 for Angel Flight East Kootenay.

Brent Bidston, president of Angel Flight East Kootenay, accepted the donation on behalf of the organization during a presentation at Cranbrook Save-On on Friday, Sept. 30.

“This is the fourth year Save-On has done this fundraiser for Angel Flight,” Bidston said. “We’re very grateful for the continued support.

It’s spread out across the Kootenays, so it’s a nice balance we get.”

Additional fundraising efforts came from Save-On-Foods locations in Kimberley, Fernie, Sparwood, Golden, Creston and Nelson. It’s the fourth year of fundraising from regional Save-On-Foods stores banding together to raise money for Angel Flight East Kootenay,

Angel Flight East Kootenay was founded in April, 2019 by Bidston, a retired airline captain. It is an entirely volunteer-led charitable organization which flies East Kootenay patients to treatment centres in Kelowna, for free.

In the four years Save-On-Foods has held the fundraiser, a total of $88,811 has been raised for Angel Flight.

Donations can be made online and flights can be requested by visiting the Angel Flight East Kootenay website.