Photo: CTV

Gia Tran

It has taken 21 years, a few cents at a time, but it has added up for one Vancouver woman – and the BC Cancer Foundation.

Bottle collector Gia Tran has donated a whopping $15,000, a few bucks at a time, to the foundation.

"I help people… I give money, I don't know how much," she told CTV. "Every day, I give."

The 62-year-old picks up empties every day, cashes them in and gives most of the money away.

"Today I have $25! I gave $20," she said Thursday.

Foundation CEO Sarah Roth says have got to know Tran over the years. "We look forward to her ... She brings a smile to everyone's face. She's always smiling."

Tran averages about $15 a week in donations. "It's been 21 years and $15,000. That's remarkable," Roth said.

"Twenty years ago I have children, I cannot work, no job. I think I want to help, I have no money, I don't know why," she said. Then, "I look at cans! I have money! I help people."

– with files from CTV Vancouver