Hair Salons, jewelry makers, auctions and even super heroes are all coming together to help keep the Saint John SPCA open.
The SPCA announced if they don’t raise a million dollars in a week the centre will close it’s doors this coming Saturday, leaving 14 people without a job and animals facing euthanization.
President Melody McElman tells CHSJ news they had to come out and tell the truth to the public. She says they’ve been planning to start a capital campaign for months to raise enough money to convert rooms at the 295 Bayside Drive building into viable revenue source, such as a dog grooming and obedience centre.
She says they’ve done as much as they could to cut costs for the non-profit animal shelter, including cutting the executive director position to help pay for the stack of vet bills and operational costs.
In December the group was given 30 days notice by the NBSPCA to move out of their decrepit building on Taylor Avenue, which had problems with mold, old concrete cages and as McElman describes as “not fit for man or beast”. She says the $750,000 price tag on the Bayside property was affordable compared to $4 million if a new building was made.
McElman says she knows she set her goal high by asking for a million, but what they need is a miracle.
The centre has been around for 99 years.
To donate by going in the shelter, click here or call 642-0931. You can also visit their facebook page.
