The Campbell River SPCA is well-known for its work in serving sick, neglected, abused, and homeless animals. But there’s always an opportunity for locals to help them out in their efforts.
This past Wednesday, Sept. 22nd, the non-profit put out a call on its Facebook page, after staff found the shelter’s pet food bank was running “very low” on supplies.
The post read, “We are in need of all types of pet food donations including unopened dry cat and dog food, cat litter, as well as cans of wet cat and dog food. We can accept any brand or protein source, in fact, the more variety the better.”
And while branch manager Stephanie Arkwright tells our newsroom that locals have stepped up and donated food since then, she notes that staff is always happy to accept more.
“The more food that we have, the more people we can help out, and the wider we can reach as well,” Arkwright explains.
The shelter, located on 13th Ave., is open Tuesday to Saturday, from noon until 4:30 pm. Its doors are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
According to Arkwright, if someone is looking for pet food outside of those hours, they can still reach out. “We usually are in the branch throughout the day, we just not open to the public until noon,” she says. “But we can set up appointments for food pickup or food dropoff.”
Arkwright continues, “We do have food specifically for the animals in our shelter, but we do collect food donations for members of the public who might need a bit of an extra hand. We have food specifically put aside for the food bank program, where people can come, and we also do deliveries to other communities. So we provide food for some of the northern communities as well.”
Business as usual at the local SPCA:
Due to COVID-19, Arkwright says the Campbell River SPCA actually had to change how it operates. “We’re trying to operate by appointment as much as we can,” she says.
But in all, the shelter’s kept busy through the pandemic. “It’s definitely been busy as far as animal intake and adoptions. This summer has been quite busy, but we’re definitely doing well and managing through,” adds Arkwright.
