Queens SPCA fundraising and educating

On Oct. 26, the SPCA is hosting a Family Kitchen Party at the Seaside Recreation Centre in Beach Meadows.

The fundraiser starts at 4 p.m., with a cover fee of just a goodwill donation.

A variety of musical entertainment will be offered from players all over Queens Co., including the South Shore Ukulele players.

Inside will be a silent auction, a white elephant table, and chili and chowder served.

Loretta Cook with the SPCA says this will help with running costs, which are approximately $13,000 a year. The SPCA is not government funded, so each year the money must be raised through donations and fundraisers.

The centrepiece of the Kitchen Party is a painting donated by Deborah Sponagle-Taylor from Liverpool.

Sponagle-Taylor is widely known for her paintings on old pieces of fishing boats. The donated painting, however, is a bit of a departure from her usual work.

She says lately her interest has been in painting animals, specifically cats and cats eyes.

In the past, she has donated art pieces to other fundraisers that have come to her. However the idea of donating a piece of art to the SPCA came as a spur of the moment decision while at Liverpool Market Superstore. “I saw them one day selling tickets and a light came on and I said I’m going to approach them instead of them asking me.”

The SPCA will auction the painting with a reserve bit of $150, and if not met will move the painting to a raffle.

The SPCA is also developing an education program through a grant they received through the McGrand trust.

Sandra Forsythe and Barb Redmond are putting the program together to teach children the responsibility of pet ownership. “I had this idea of how I wanted children exposed to a lot of ethical issues concerning the SPCA,” says Redmond.

What they came up with is a puppet show to go into Grade Primary to Grade 6 classes.

The pair received $2,300, which will be put towards a sound system and the show. “We want to project to the children that when you get an animal, it’s a big responsibility. You have to think about their health care, exercise, diet and so on,” says Redmond. “The animal puppets will tell their story. They will be rescued animal with checkered pasts. “We want to change things, and we know children are the pet owners of the future. The change has to start with them”