Based in New Plymouth, Taranaki’s SPCA Centre helps and cares for neglected, abused and injured animals.
“On top of that, SPCA does a lot of education and advocacy. There’s a link between the environment, people and animals. That’s the ecosystem we all live in, and our role is to protect the animals,” said Sarah Elliott, Grant Manager.
The Centre has a small staff and relies heavily on dedicated volunteers, and those who foster animals at home.
“Groups come in every day to clean cages and feed the animals. There’s lots of dog walking and cat cuddles, so the animals get comfortable and learn good behaviours for adoption,” said Katrina Bowditch, Centre Manager.
“It’s not just cats and dogs. We also care for smaller animals such as rabbits, chooks, guinea pigs and the larger livestock of goats, sheep, ponies and horses rescued by SPCA inspectors from neglect or abuse.”
Only 10% of SPCA funding comes from government, so the Centre relies heavily on fundraising. Sarah says grants are crucial.
“One Toi grant contributes to our operating costs and helps with vet support and cleaning materials because hygiene is vital.
Then, our capital grant replaced old vinyl floors which were impossible to keep clean and disease-free. Thanks to that improvement, we’ve now got a room where volunteers and foster carers can leave their possessions and gather for meetings.”
“Toi also funded a free desexing programme in Southern Taranaki, where we were seeing increasing problems with strays due to the high cost of living. We gave out free vouchers for 154 animals. Then, because of Toi’s involvement, other funders came to the party, which meant we could widen the project to 666 animals across all of Taranaki,” said Sarah.
“These actions can have a big impact. For example, I remember a man living in a car. His dog was starting to have behavioural issues, but once desexed it calmed down and was able to remain with its owner.
“The biggest thing with Toi Foundation is how their grants support an interconnected ecosystem within animal care. That’s really forward thinking for a funder, and we truly appreciate it.”
