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HELPING THE ANIMALS

Kamloops and District SPCA to benefit from several November fundraisers

Nov 2, 2020 | 5:12 PM

KAMLOOPS — Since closing its doors to the public on March 21, the Kamloops and District Branch of the BCSPCA has only reopened in a very limited capacity.

The pandemic has also limited the number of fundraising events the organization can do. That’s why they were happy to announce a pair of fundraising initiatives that they’ve undertaken this week, to help ease some of the constraints COVID-19 has put on the organization.

It’s been quiet around the Kamloops SPCA for the past several months. Since the pandemic hit, the branch has been operating at limited capacity.

“A lot of our animals are with foster families, which creates a little capacity for emergencies,” Lisa Fuller, Kamloops SPCA spokesperson, explains.

Since March, the building has been taking extra precautions due to COVID-19. However, that extra care has also limited the number of fundraisers the non-profit has been able to undertake during that time.

“This year has hit our organization and other non-profits very, very hard,” Fuller says. “We rely solely on donations to survive. All of our fundraisers have been cancelled, including what would have been our craft fair, leading into Christmas.”

However, this November a pair of businesses have stepped up to help ensure the SPCA can continue helping animals. Red Collar Brewing has once again partnered with the organization. This time, the brewery has brewed a new anniversary beer named after the dog they adopted from the SPCA back in 2016.

“Many people know Diana. She’s famous at Red Collar,” Fuller says. “They’ve done a baltic porter, and a dollar from every pint, glass or bottle sold in the [Red Collar Brewing] Tasting Room will come back to the SPCA.”

On Saturday, November 7, there will be another fundraiser taking place at TRU. Organizer Roberta Nechvatal says it was born out of a conversation she had with the owner of River City Limos at a Kamloops Chamber of Commerce event.

“He had expressed interest in his wife and him joining the event,” Nechvatal says. “We started to get the ball rolling, put it out there, and came up with a fill the limo event.”

Fill the Limo takes place this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Folks are encouraged to bring several items to help stock the shelves and the pet food bank at the SPCA.

“Cat and dog toys, cat food, dog food and anything else,” Nechvatal explains. “We do have a wish list that the SPCA has provided to us. That can be found on our social media platforms.”

Fuller says there are other events planned for this month, including a ladies craft night hosted virtually by Home Hardware — and if anyone has donations they want to drop off, they can do so at a donation bin outside the animal care centre on Tranquille Road.

“They can drop donations off daily, from about 8:00 am until 4:30 or 5:00 pm,” Fuller says.