‘I do it for the kids’: Can crushing fundraiser in Fisherville, Ont. raises thousands

A simple idea with a big impact.

At the centre of it is 87-year-old Floyd Moerschfelder, turning a simple routine into something much bigger.

“I do it for the kids,” says Moerschfelder.

Nearly every day for the last two years, the Fisherville District Lions Club member has been crushing hundreds of cans with a goal in mind: to raise $50,000 for local kids.

“He is going hard at his beer can collecting, with help of the rest of our lion group,” says Daphne Bassindale, the director of the 2026 Fisherville Lions Variety Show. “He has a goal to meet before our show starts on April 9.”

Those cans come in from neighbours, friends and even strangers showing just how this community is behind him.

“We all band together and it’s a big family in Haldimand county,” says Haldimand County Mayor, Shelley Ann Bentley. “We come together to support one another and you just see it shine through Floyd’s program.”

That support goes straight to local kids, helping teams get on the ice or on the field.

“We’re talking like 46 hockey teams and I think we’re up to 26 baseball teams and maybe more coming,” says Walter Schaeffer with the Fisherville Lions Club.

Each of those teams will receive at least $500. Money that can make a real difference for families.

“Five hundred dollars maybe isn’t a lot of money, but it helps,” says Moerschfelder.

What started as a small project — a simple way to give back — has now raised close to $50,000 and with just a few days left until his deadline, Moerschfelder is closer than ever to hitting that goal.

“I remember when we started out , we were sitting at my kitchen table and we said, ‘we’ll go for fifty-thousand,’ and we laughed,” says Moerschfelder. “Because we never thought we’d make it and we’re gonna make it next week.”

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Now, the next generation is joining in, helping load, sort and keep the line moving.

“It’s good for the community and good for the hockey teams and all the baseball teams and all the sports in Haldimand county,” says one young person offering a helping hand.

For many families — that support couldn’t come at a better time.

“It’s so difficult for parents to afford to put their kids in minor sports,” says Benley. “It’s so important for kids to participate in sports programs. It keeps them off the streets, it keeps them out of trouble.”

If you want to help Floyd cross the finish line — drop-off locations have been set up across the area.

The Fisherville Lions Club is sharing updates online.

Even when he hits that $50,000 mark, Moerschfelder says he’s not done just yet.

“We were talking about a hundred-thousand dollars but at my age, I’m gonna go for 51 thousand and if we make that we’ll go over 52,” says Moerschfelder.

Whatever the number, Floyd will keep crushing toward it. One can at a time.

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