R10K boost for struggling SPCA
Rotary steps up again with donation from fundraising walkathon
“Absolutely stunned” described SPCA administrator Forbes Coutts’s reaction when he was handed R10,000 for the Port Alfred and Ndlambe region’s branches last week.
The donation, from the Walks for Wags Rotary & SPCA Dog Walkathon, was presented by Rotary Kenton president Simon Matthews at the club’s weekly meeting.
After the recent R12,000 donation by Rotary Port Alfred in September, it brings the organisation’s contribution to the area’s SPCA to an impressive R22,000 in the past three months.
Rotary Kenton’s recent ‘dogathon’ was wellsupported, with more than 70 dogs and their owners attending.
“They’ve been incredible in what they’ve done,” Coutts said of Rotary.
“We’re paying out all the time and there’s very little money coming in, so this kind of initiative really means a lot.”
The SPCA is a community owned non-profit organisation affiliated to the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs). It receives no subsidy and relies entirely on donations.
Previously (more than a decade ago), the Port Alfred SPCA operated its pound through a service level agreement (SLA) with the municipality; however, the SLA and the monthly payments that accompanied it ceased about 12 years ago.
Talk of the Town understands that Ndlambe Municipality intends to enter discussions with a view to resuming a similiar relationship; meanwhile, the organisation urgently needs to raise funds to continue its work.
There was no doubt the Covid lockdown made the SPCA’s situation a lot worse, said Coutts.
“No-one was travelling, and so no-one was using our boarding kennels.”
The Port Alfred SPCA offers a top-quality boarding facility that caters for both dogs and cats and pre-Covid, pet owners’ payment for this service provided a healthy boost to its coffers.
Boarding fees range from R70 per day for cats (nine kennels available) to R75 for small dogs, R80 for medium to large dogs and R90 per day for extra-large dogs (34 kennels available).
There is a membership fee for all boarders of R190 per year per family.
“We only accept animals for boarding that are fully vaccinated,” said Coutts.
The popular SPCA thrift shop is another way that volunteers raise funds to support the organisation’s work.
If you don’t have money to offer, love will do just fine.
“The animals need people to spend quality time with them,” Coutts said.
“And it’s a good feeling to know you’ve made a happy difference in an animal’s life.”
You can also volunteer to do collections during the holiday season.
“From now until mid-January, we need people to go out there among the holidaymakers shaking tins,” Coutts said. The “tin shakers” do two things: they remind the public that the SPCA is there; and they fill those tins with money.
“You know it’s amazing – R1, R2, R5 coins add up really quickly,” Coutts said.
Money also goes out really quickly.
Talk of the Town recently published the rundown and here we include it again: Based on an average cost of R93 per day (dog) and R81 per day (cat), with an average of 35 unwanted/strays at any given time, this means the Port Alfred and Ndlambe SPCA needs an average of R3,045 a day just to house the animals in their care.
That’s R21,315 a week – R85,260 a month and R1,023,120 a year. The organisation employs six people to care for the animals, supported by two volunteers.
“We are incredibly grateful to Rotary, as well as the other organisations, businesses and individuals in our community who have helped us get through this very difficult period,” Coutts said.