The BC SPCA is asking animal lovers to spare five minutes a day to help end the suffering of thousands of animals in B.C.

 “The BC SPCA has a chance to win $100,000 in the Pepsi Refresh Project, an online grant program where individuals vote for their favourite community project,” explains Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the non-profit animal welfare society.  

“We have applied to win $100,000 for a project to help end pet overpopulation in B.C.  Our project will provide low-cost spay/neuter operations for hundreds of animals across the province and will fund research to identify permanent solutions to the tragedy of pet overpopulation.”

Chortyk says the BC SPCA is facing stiff competition in the Pepsi Refresh campaign and hopes animal lovers will rally to cast votes in support of the SPCA’s project.  “People can vote every day between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31 and the grant is awarded to the project with the most overall votes after two months,” she says.  “We really need people to get behind us.  It’s a way for people to make a significant and lasting impact to save animal lives, in just five minutes a day.”

Steps to vote:

1.   Visit refresheverything.ca.

2.   Click on “Join Refresh Everything” in the lower left-hand corner.

3.   Fill in your information to sign up.

4.   Go to refresheverything.ca/bcspca.

5.   Vote for us!

“Once you have signed up, all you need to do is log in each day to vote,” says Chortyk.  “We urge people to vote once a day, every day from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31.”  Individuals have a total of ten votes a day, but only one vote can be given to any one application in a day. 

“Every year we see thousands of animals in our shelters who have been surrendered or abandoned because there are no homes for them,” says Chortyk. 

“The terrible suffering we see is completely preventable and winning this Pepsi Refresh grant would be a huge step forward in helping to end this suffering.” 

For more information, visit spca.bc.ca/pepsi.

You can directly help eradicate pet overpopulation in B.C. through the ???Monty Fund for Community Education and Outreach??? which looks to improving the future of animal welfare through education and a focus on prevention. Please donate today.

Photo caption: A box of kittens found in an abandoned shed near Comox in June 2010 and a reminder that B.C. has a serious pet overpopulation problem.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.