Many things changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your love and dedication for homeless pets never wavered. Animal-lovers stepped up and found creative, new ways to help. We compiled a list of some of the many that made our hearts swoon.
Masks & Fundraising
SPCA supporter, Sonia Cumminger, began making masks to protect people and help homeless pets in need. “I decided to get into making masks but didn’t feel right about profiting from it,” reflects Sonia. “So, I thought I would donate all proceeds to the SPCA as I knew they would be affected by this pandemic greatly.” Sonia started out with a goal to raise $100 and ended up making just over $1,400!
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to raise this much,” exclaims Sonia. “Once the word got out that 100% of the money made was going to help the SPCA the orders started coming in. I was overwhelmed by the response.”
Sonia ended up making approximately 300 masks and gave away many to people she knew desperately needed them. “I placed 15+ on a power pole on Sackville Drive with a sign that said ‘if you need a mask please take one’ and within 24 hours they were all gone.”
Sonia wants to thank everyone who supported and bought a mask from her. And we want to give a big THANK YOU to Sonia for generously donating her talent and time to help save lives.
Toys & Treats
12-year-old Jane was stuck at home during quarantine and felt her cats were bored. “This may sound silly, but I looked for some ways to keep them entertained and found ideas on the internet created by other cat lovers,” Jane reflects. “From March until the end of June I made different types of toys, pillows, bandanas and bow ties. I wanted my project to have meaning in the local community so I chose the SPCA.”
“I loved creating the toys mainly because one of my cats is an SPCA kitty and it’s nice to see a little excitement after a while of quarantine and tough times,” Jane shares. “Even the animals felt the effects of this pandemic with limited cuddles, so I hoped this would brighten up some pets’ days.”
“I feel it’s important to help animals in need because they don’t have a voice and we can give them one,” she exclaims. “Every animal deserves a loving human in their lives, and it’s important to advocate for them as vulnerable members of our society.” And Jane doesn’t stop there! She hopes to continue working with animals and someday become an equine veterinarian.
Jane’s kindness and compassion goes to show that you can never be too young to make a BIG difference. On behalf of our shelter pets, thank you!
Online Birthday Pawty
Christian Selig is not only an app genius but an amazing supporter of animals in need. After working with Apple, he began working on an app called Apollo. Two years later, he proudly released Apollo and has been working on it ever since. He even uses it to raise funds for furry friends in need!
“My girlfriend Jess and I adopted our two cats from the SPCA, so we were able to see firsthand the great work they do and benefit for it with our cute pets,” shares Christian. “The SPCA posted that due to an influx of kittens in kitten season they were low on food and supplies and requested community help. Rather than just make a donation myself I thought about involving the people who use my app to give it an extra boost, and tell them I’ll donate the proceeds from the app for the day to my local SPCA animal shelter.”
Just like that – he started fundraising and saving lives – and hasn’t stopped since.
This year, with the SPCA needing extra help, Christian was determined to raise more than ever before.
For his birthday on July 20th, Christian pledged to donate all app and custom icon proceeds, $1 for every retweet via his @apolloreddit Twitter account, $0.10 from every reddit comment, and donations through his personal CanadaHelps fundraising page. We hit the floor and our jaws dropped when he shared his total. Drum roll please…. $42,657.10!!
“I’d definitely recommend fundraising if you have your own business because you can do a lot of great things for a very deserving group of animals,” shares Christian. “Even small amounts of money can go so far!” We hope you had a birthday as amazing as you are Christian. THANK YOU for being a humane hero for homeless pets.
Love for animals inspires people to do amazing things. Thank you for helping to save lives!
Want to start your own fundraiser for furry friends? Check this out – click here.