Animal rescue launches shelter fundraising campaign

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This article was published 22/03/2021 (1432 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach & Area Animal Rescue (SAAR) kicked off their fundraising campaign for a new 3,000 foot plus shelter.

The facility is planned for 39 Keating Road, and received city council approval in November.

Marilee Arthur is the fundraising consultant for the group, and said they have several fundraisers planned over the next couple of months.

While the entire building is expected to cost about $600,000, the group is waiting to hear back on a grant request to the province for $300,000. The campaign’s goal is to raise close to $200,000.

The group is kicking things off with their “Give Me Five” campaign. Lasting two weeks, the campaign asks people to donate $5 to the cause.

“Everybody can afford $5 and if we reach our target than we get some great momentum with $25,000 in the bank,” she said.

Donations will be able to be made at some local businesses or on the SAAR website at steinbachanimalrescue.com.

Starting two weeks from now, the group will kick off “Corporate Funds to the Rescue”, a push to attract donations from business.

“We already have our first donation from Pet Valu for $1,200,” Arthur said. “We’re looking to use his inspiration to stoke the interest of other business owners.”

In June the group will hold the “Auction for Animals”. Ten experiential packages will be up for auction.

“It won’t be just an item that you bid on, it will be an experience,” Arthur explained.

July will feature a “Tail Chasing Dog Walk”.

Paws and Poses, involving a partnership with a local photographer, will allow people to get family photos with their pets, to raise funds for the new facility.

President of Steinbach & Area Animal Rescue, Michelle Neufeld said it’s exciting to get to this phase in their existence.

Under her leadership the organization was established in 2013, receiving charitable status in 2017.

“We’re getting busier and busier,” she said. “We’re having to turn away so many calls.”

In a November city council meeting Neufeld reported they turn away up to 75 percent of calls.

Neufeld said a new shelter would allow them to care for more animals, reduce the health risk to the community from roaming animals, and allow them to have a base from which to educate the community on pet care through field trips and workshops.

Currently SAAR uses 25 foster homes, which would still play a large role.

“We still want to rely on foster homes because that’s still the best setting for an animal, but to have the actual building and have a home base is essential to our organization,” she said.

Construction timelines depend on fundraising and Neufeld said she hopes to see a ground breaking in the fall, although she admits it could be spring of 2022.

While the organization has existed for many years, Neufeld said she has always wanted a physical facility.

“That was always my goal,” she said. “I knew it would take a while to build up our reputation and the right kind of volunteers and fosters and stuff like that.”

Shelter to benefit entire community

Dr. Trevor Johnson of Clearspring Animal Hospital counts himself as a supporter of SAAR, saying he’s dealt with over a dozen rescues in his 20-year career, with few run as well as the Steinbach organization.

“They fill the holes in the system that the government and public infrastructure doesn’t take care of,” he said, adding there’s a “huge need” for an animal shelter in Steinbach.

Benefits also extend to the non-pet owning population as well. Johnson said the animal shelter helps keep viruses and diseases in check, noting that something as simple as worms can be caught from an animal. “Something like 40 million Americans have worms and they don’t even know it,” he said.

The prevalence and importance of pets in the household has risen in recent years, even before COVID-19 which inspired many to acquire pets for the first time.

“The standard of health care that we are expected to provide has changed dramatically even in the last 20 years,” he said.

Johnson described SAAR as a great organization, among the top in the province.

“They are an organization that hopefully the government or grants or people will support, because it won’t be a flop,” he said. “They will be successful.”

Johnson said the key is the people they have on the board. “They run it like a business, they’re responsible and that’s why they’re successful,” he said.