A picture purr-fect holiday fundraiser
The Carry Drive Pet Valu store got festive this weekend, allowing people and their pets to come into the store to get their picture taken for a good cause.
On both Saturday and Sunday, people were able to book an appointment to get their portrait taken in exchange for a donation to the Medicine Hat SPCA or the Alberta Pound and Rescue Centre.
“This is just a nice little photo shoot we do every year at Christmas,” said store manager Elisha Mathis. “We do this every year, even though we don’t have Santa here this year, just to help people get some pictures done and help out a couple local organizations.”
Mathis says she is hoping to raise a few hundred dollars over the course of the weekend, which will be split evenly between the SPCA and APARC.
“It’s a great way to get people in, and to get some donations for the animals,” she said. “APARC and the SPCA are our local rescues and they need money for their medical bills, their fees, food and a bunch of other stuff, too. We actually partner with APARC at this store, and have some of their cats on display at all times. So we do see the impact every day.”
The store has been holding the fundraiser for around five years, and changed things up a little this year.
“Normally we have Santa, but we just set up a nice scene this year,” said Mathis. “The pets can get really nervous around Santa, and it can be really hard to get a picture.”