M.P. Marty Morantz
Before the House of Commons rose at the end of last year, I had the pleasure of joining the Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter at the Grand Opening of their new location on Portage Avenue here in Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley.
The work that Carla Martinelli-Irvine and her team do at this shelter is truly vital and heartwarming.
This organization has rescued more than 10,000 animals that find themselves without a place to call home. The Pet Rescue Shelter takes these animals in, gives them medical treatment, and ensures that they have a place to stay before they eventually find their new home.
Most importantly, the Pet Rescue Shelter is Manitoba’s very first No-Kill animal shelter. They understand that our furry friends should never be euthanized simply because they find themselves without an owner.
When I last spoke with Carla, she expressed how thrilled the employees of the Pet Rescue Shelter were to be in their new location and how grateful they were for the community support that they have received.
She mentioned that “everybody likes the idea of a No-Kill shelter, but it takes a lot of community support to keep a place like this up and running. We don’t receive any government support.”
As a non-profit organization, the Pet Rescue Shelter is used to stretching a dollar and budgeting the donations that they receive. This is what led the shelter to come up with a novel donation model: microdonors. Instead of relying on a few people making large donations, the Pet Rescue Shelter is funded by many people making small donations.
For only $3 a month, people from across Manitoba can help this amazing organization save more animals.
To Carla and her entire team, thank you so much for the work that you do, and I wish you all continued success in helping Manitoba’s pets find a forever home.
Marty Morantz is MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley.
