Store donates what looters left behind- R400k worth of pet food
The pet food was one of the few items left behind during the looting in July.
MAKRO Springfield store was devastated by the unrest in the province in July, but plenty of pet food was left on the otherwise ravaged shelves.
Despite the mass looting at the store, Makro Springfield seized the opportunity to give back and donated pet food to an estimated value of R400 000.
The general manager for Makro Springfield, Sue-Anne Jones said they divided the pet food equally between eight SPCA branches across KwaZulu-Natal. These included SPCAs in Durban, Kloof, Richard’s Bay, Pietermaritzburg and Eshowe.
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“There was absolutely nothing wrong with the food and we could give back, so that’s what we did,” said Jones.
The pet food donation included both wet and dry cat food and dog food.
“We got in touch with the SPCA in Johannesburg, which manages all the SPCA branches. They, in turn, put us in touch with the SPCAs in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Jones. “There were two or three SPCAs that said it was the first time since Covid-19 started that they had full storerooms.”
The food was left in the aisle during the looting in July.
Also read: Queensmead Superspar reopens after looting
“I suppose the looters had no use for it. We could have put it back on our shelves, but that’s not our philosophy. Also, we would have had to find a place to store it from July until we reopen in December,” said Jones.
Tanya Fleischer of the Durban & Coast SPCA said the donations went a long way.
“We were so very grateful for the donation received from Makro. The food donated was absolutely incredible and helped us immensely. Thank you, Makro,” she said.
Jones said the pet food donations were delivered to some SPCAs such as the SPCA in Richard’s Bay and Eshowe while local SPCAs collected their donations.
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