The year is flying by and the time is approaching for the annual Santa Clause for Paws Christmas box collection and handover.
Santa Clause for Paws is a community initiative that collects and distributes pet food, toys, blankets and other much needed items to shelter animals. It is therefore fitting that the Grahamstown SPCA will be the recipient of the collected items this year for the third year in a row.
Santa Cause for Paws started in October 2013, with their main focus being an annual Christmas Drive.
“Christmas is a time for warmth, giving and love, and the donations they receive can drastically improve the lives of needy shelter animals over this time,” the organisers said.
The concept of Santa Clause for Paws is similar to that of the “Santa Shoebox” project which distributes festive season gifts to thousands of underprivileged children in South Africa.
The Christmas collection involves boxes that are pledged and donated by members of the public, with each box containing two food items, a blanket or jersey, some form of chew toy or a medicinal item with an optional item for a member of staff from the recipient organization. These boxes are then distributed to the pre-selected charities, in this instance the Grahamstown SPCA.
For the past two years Santa Cause for Paws has supported the Grahamstown SPCA and, in 2016, they combined their handover with a Christmas Market at the Grahamstown SPCA.
This year they are collaborating with the SupUrban Market, a monthly pop-up market that is aimed at supporting local Grahamstown’s artists and entrepreneurs. Each month, the SupUrban market features locally produced art crafts, shoes, leathercraft, hand-made jewelry, antiques and collectibles, vintage and new clothing, and delicious foods, while giving Grahamstonians the chance to meet local business owners. The SupUrban Market will be holding their December Market at the SPCA in conjunction with the handover. This year, there will be dogs to hold too!
The combined event will take place on Saturday 9 December. The idea is bring many new visitors to the SPCA and encourage them to walk and play with the animals in the hopes of seeing some adoptions take place. All proceeds obtained from the stall costs and minimal entry fee to the venue will be added to the Santa Cause for Paws’ financial pledges that will be handed to the SPCA in January. They aim to create awareness and grow and be successful as an organization in the coming years.
