On February 2, eight-year-old Kate van Rensburg donated $3,500 in food and pet products to the Kamloops branch of the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
“Kate decided to do this because she loves animals and she really wanted to help them out,” says Kate’s mother, Vanessa van Rensburg.
“She doesn’t like seeing animals get hurt or go without food. Kate and her brother rescued a litter of kittens before in the middle of winter and we actually still have one of them now, a year and a half later.”
Kate first decided to reach out to numerous shelters to determine what she could do to most effectively help animals in need.
“Her idea was welcomed in the most beautiful way by the staff at the SPCA in Kamloops,” says Vanessa.
Having an idea of what was needed, Kate began to drum up donations, contacting various pet businesses and pet food companies including Horizon Pet Nutrition, Petcurean, FirstMate Pet Foods, ACANA pet food, Purr-fect Paws Pet Supplies and Canadian Tire.
Together, these businesses donated more than 300lbs of food and Canadian Tire donated $670 in vouchers.
Promoting her “Fluffy Friends Fundraiser” initiative on Facebook and with posters she had made, Kate also started making items to sell and raise money.
“Kate made over 400 loom-band ladybugs which she sold at $2 a piece at three Centennials home games as well as spending an afternoon at Save-On-Foods,” says Vanessa.
“Kate and her brother Aiden also went door-to-door selling the ladybugs. In addition to this, we advertised the ladybugs on Facebook Marketplace and other pages.”
This isn’t the first time Kate and her brother jumped in to support a worthy cause. In response to the 2021 South African unrest, the siblings set up a candy and drinks stand and also sold paint pour and abstract paintings on canvas for between $5 and $20.
“They raised just over $2,000 and the money was sent to South Africa during a heightened time of extreme political violence and riots,” explained Vanessa.
“Stores were burned to the ground and the trucks who were able to stock up at the harbour were hijacked and looted, while most ships simply bypassed the harbours and never even offloaded in fear of looting. This left hundreds of thousands of families without food supplies, income, gas or power. Once the money reached South Africa, those who were able to purchase items did so and shared it with those who couldn’t.”
Vanessa shares that Kate, unfortunately, received some criticism this past month from people who felt that she should be supporting local pet shelters instead of the Kamloops SPCA. However, Kate was undeterred.
“It taught her that not everyone will agree with you and your ideas, and that sometimes people will give you a cold no, or scoff at you, but those are just small stepping stones in your journey and those negatives can be converted into positives which will ultimately propel you further,” says Vanessa.
When all was said and done and Kate arrived at the SPCA with donations in hand, she had 270kg of dog food, 50kg of cat food, 11kg of dog treats and 2kg of cat treats.
She also had bowls, beds, toys, blankets, collars, waste bags and dispensers, shampoo, cleaning supplies, paper towels, rubber gloves, spray bottles, garbage bags and much more.
One can only wonder what Kate’s next act of kindness will be, in the meantime she advises: “Be kind to all of creation, and one another.”
