Stories of giving: people in action for animals
Dec 14, 2009
The joyful season of giving is upon us, and at WSPA we’re reflecting on the amazing things people have given to animals. In a year when so many were without so much, people still opened their hearts to help animals. We thought we’d share a few stories of giving that inspired us this year…
Advocacy in Canada
© WSPA
The Canadian office counted itself lucky the day Susanne walked through the door. She asked for a huge box of brochures and took them door-to-door with her beautiful dog, Lena, encouraging neighbours to join her in becoming a member of WSPA.
She also delivered petitions to several vet clinics and animal-friendly stores to collect signatures in support of a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. And on more than a few Saturdays she woke up before sunrise to set up an information booth at the farmers market where she talked to ethical shoppers about WSPA’s efforts to stop the long distance transport of farm animals.
Susanne first found out about WSPA in Germany, her home country. Now that she spends more time living in Canada, she has been volunteering for both the German and Canadian office.
Volunteering in Argentina
© WSPA
With the help of a van, she sells ice cream every day of the week — except for Wednesday. That’s the day WSPA Columbia’s member society Fundación Argentina para el Bienestar Animal (FABA) offers free sterilization in a WSPA-donated mobile clinic. Every Wednesday, Nelly goes door-to-door encouraging her neighbours to have their pets sterilized at the clinic. She uses her own van and pays for the fuel to take animals, and their owners, from her district to FABA’s mobile clinic — wherever it is.
When owners are not able to accompany their pets, Nelly picks the animals up, takes them to the clinic and returns them to their families. Nelly doesn’t know the exact number of dogs she has helped, but has noticed a reduction in the number of puppies roaming on the streets of her community — and that makes her, and WSPA, very happy.
Fundraising in Australia
© WSPA
Jessica Seal and Nathan are two tweens with heart who joined forces to help raise money for WSPA. They baked delicious banana cakes and muffins, plastered themselves with WSPA tattoos and stickers, and set off to sell their baking to local businesses.
"It was great fun raising money for such a cool charity and we told all our customers where their money was being donated. It also helps build your confidence when you have to talk to new people and explain what WSPA does for animals around the world," said Jess.
Both of these passionate supporters are keen to participate in other WSPA fundraisers in the future.
What you can do!
There are many ways to help animals; from hands on volunteering, to fundraising, donating or through advocacy.
If you’d like to give more to animals this holiday season, consider volunteering at your local animal shelter, holding a fundraising event like a holiday bake sale, or giving a WSPA Really Wild Gift at www.reallywildgifts.ca.
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