A delectable dinner will be served at the Gypsy at Red on Saturday evening, April 9, to raise badly needed funds for the SPCA shelter in Trail.
“It’s held together with duct tape,” Sue Wrigley said wryly about the shelter. “The BCSPCA is completely funded by private donations, we don’t get any government funds at all.”
Wrigley lives in Rossland and is a volunteer at the shelter, but she is also the regional director on the BCSPCA board for the Interior East region (Cranbrook, Nelson, Trail) and a member of the Trail shelter’s community council, a fundraising and advocacy branch of the shelter.
The BCSPCA is legally required to provide the services necessary to enforce the provincial Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, but receives no monetary support beyond in-kind government donations such as some buildings, land, and lower lease rates.
“We’re just trying to meet the budget,” Wrigley said. “We break even, barely, but there are plumbing problems, exhaust problems, roof problems. We just want to spruce the place up. Everything helps.”
Many may know the shelter from when their pet was deposited there by a bylaw officer, but this dual role as the pound “is not a normal thing for the SPCA to do,” Wrigley said. In Trail, however, the shelter has contracts with the cities of Trail, Rossland, Montrose, and Fruitvale. “It brings us in some extra money,” she explained.
The primary function of the shelter is to take in abandoned animals and put them up for adoption following a number of humane but costly policies.
First, every animal that comes through the door must be spayed or neutered. Secondly, the shelter keeps the animals until they’re adopted. No animal is euthanized unless severe behaviour or health issues prevent adoption.
To raise funds for maintenance and “to bring it up to some standards,” the shelter’s community council coordinates events such as this dinner in partnership with Gypsy at Red.
“Gypsy at Red are such a huge supporter of the BCSPCA,” Wrigley said.
Dinner plus a glass of wine, costs $55, from which $35 will cover costs and $20 will go to the Trail Shelter.
Wrigley’s involvement comes from her “love of animals,” and she hopes similar sentiments —and a love of good food — will bring a hearty crowd out to the Gypsy at Red for an evening of fun.
Diners are encouraged to buy tickets in advance, either at Gypsy at Red, Tails Pet Supplies, or at the Trail Shelter.
For more information, contact Sue Wrigley at 362-5332. The dinner starts at 6 p.m. on April 9.