As most event organizers will tell you, a lot of hard work goes into running a successful community fundraiser.

A Winnipeg company devoted to making moving more eco-friendly is aiming to make things a little easier, by loaning its green, reusable moving containers to events such as A Walk in the Park in St. Vital.

"They love them, they absolutely love them… it’s so easy for (events) to use these boxes," says Salin Guttormsson. "Every single of them has said we’re keeping you in mind for next year."

Guttormsson works for the Winnipeg franchise of FROGBOX, a Canadian company featured on CBC Television’s Dragons’ Den that rents out "frogboxes" to individual and corporate customers.

On June 16, the company provided some containers for the fundraising walk in St. Vital Park (which benefits the Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba) to help organizers cart supplies around.

Also last weekend, FROGBOX loaned a truck to the Manitoba Marathon to assist officials along its route, part of which winds its way through St. Boniface and St. Vital.

Genny Sacco-Bak of the Arthritis Society, Manitoba/Nunavut Division, was grateful for the loan of 40 frogboxes for the annual Walk to Fight Arthritis held June 10 at Assiniboine Park.

Sacco-Bak says she’s been sending out tweets on just how handy the boxes turned out to be on what was a very soggy weekend.

 "They were great," she explains. "We had these wonderful green bins that we could load and everything stayed nice and dry."

FROGBOX is lending out more containers for the Winnipeg Humane Society’s Paws in Motion event on June 24. But its philanthropic efforts extend beyond boxes — 1% of company’s annual sales are donated to eco-causes.

Guttormsson says the three Winnipeg franchise partners — Dave Owen, Chris Pennycook and Harry Ethans — chose to support the Nature Conservancy of Canada along with an initiative that collects information on amphibians and reptiles in Manitoba.

Owen stresses green is a theme that underpins the company. He says each frogbox can be used 400 times and is made of recyclable plastic — making them more eco-friendly than the cardboard alternative.

"It’s a new concept," he says. "When people think of moving, they usually think of cardboard — we want them to think of this reusable plastic container."

Guttormsson and Owen say convenience is also part of the appeal. The containers are dropped off before a move and picked up once it’s completed, and they’re easy to use.

"It seemed like a really good idea," Brad Parkes said as 35 frogboxes were being dropped off at his Waverley West home. "We don’t have a ridiculous amount of time to pack so anything to help us along in moving process is good."  

Guttormsson claims professional movers like how the boxes are stackable and much sturdier than cardboard.

"Yeah, it’s frogboxes!" is a typical reaction from movers, she says.

Guttormsson says FROGBOX has really taken off since founder Doug Burgoyne came up with the concept four years ago. The company has grown to 23 locations in Canada and is expanding into the U.S.