When Mike Carroll, owner of F.R. Carroll, Inc., and some of his employees donated 8,000 cans to Cans for a Cure in 2013, they used a pink cement truck emblazoned with the Breast Cancer Awareness Month symbol to deliver their goods with the cement truck chute.

A  year later, the Limerick, Maine concrete supplier returned with the same pink cement truck, but this time they donated more than 14,000 cans with a large dump truck on Thursday evening in the Maine Mall parking lot. Carroll said it took him and his employees about three months to collect that many bottles and cans.

Credit: Robert Cook
Credit: Robert Cook
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For Mike Carroll, donated nearly twice as many cans as his company did a year ago pales in comparison to the reason why he chooses to collect them in the first place. He explained that his mother, now 80, survived breast cancer three times. Other employees also have loved ones who have been affected by the disease that will strike 1 out of every 8 women each year.

"I think I do it because I want to do something that will lead to a cure," said Carroll.

In addition to the 14,000 cans, Carroll told the Q Morning Show crew his company donated $275 each to the Maine Cancer Foundation and to the Cancer Community Center. They also donated $300 collected during the recent Susan G. Komen Bike Run.

While Carroll made a large donation to help Cans for a Cure reach 404,411 cans as of 6 p.m. on Thursday, he wasn't the only one recognized on Thursday evening.

Credit: Robert Cook
Credit: Robert Cook
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Mike Tetrault and his daughter Denali, 7, both of Standish, stopped by to drop off two bags of cans and $24 for the campaign in memory of his mother who died from breast cancer 24 years ago. Tetrault said his daughter looks very much like his mother did when her mother was Denali's age and he tells her as many stories as he can remember about the grandmother she never met.

Q Morning Show hosts Jeff Parsons, Lori Voornas and Meredith Manning are platooned with an RV and tent with all of their live broadcast equipment. There is also no time limit on when they can reach their 500,000 can goal that will be turned into $25,000 in cash and donated to the Maine Cancer Foundation and Cancer Community Center. Georgia Jenkins, a spokesperson for the South Portland-based Cancer Community Center, said the Cans for a Cure campaign helps them raise a good portion of their annual $500,000 budget.

The money raised from this campaign will be used to pay for programs and classes at the non-profit center which help people who are battling breast cancer as well as their loved ones, Jenkins said.

So how can you help?

Stop by the Maine Mall parking lot to drop off your bottles and cans or grab your phone and text your donation now. Text QCANS to 501501 and a 10 dollar donation will be added to your phone bill!

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