After receiving donations of thousands of books at their charity bookstore, the Randburg SPCA has launched their Paws and Paperbacks online initiative that seeks to help fund the Randburg SPCA and the animals they care for during the lockdown period.
The SPCA’s Kaylie Henderson, said that the association relies on the public to fund the work that they do. This is done mainly through their book and charity store, neither of which could operate under Level 4 lockdown restrictions. “This, coupled with the inability to do adoptions, has created a huge deficit in our budget. As an attempt to counteract the effects that these closures have had, we were forced to find an innovative solution which resulted in Randburg SPCA Paws and Paperbacks,” said Henderson.
The page on Facebook began a few weeks ago with various books offered for purchase to help with fund-raising. Supporters can browse through the numerous titles on the page and a simple comment on the picture allows the book to be allocated to the individual on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis.
“Based on the initial success of the page, we began to load items from the charity store, which have included antique furniture, sports equipment, and quirky and interesting teacups,” continued Henderson.
She said that the initiative has a variety of fictional and non-fictional titles and they have also started a request service where avid readers can inbox the SPCA with special requests, which they will then try to source among the thousands of books that they have.
Henderson added, “We are not discerning when it comes to selecting titles to load as we understand that various genres appeal to different people. You will find everything from books on statistics, golfing and adventure legends, chick-lit, fantasy and of course crime.”
Once supporters have made their choices and have made payment via EFT, collection days are posted on the page, which work on an appointment system. The books are packed and sanitised, and are ready for collection. Only one person is allowed on the SPCA’s property at a time and must follow all hygiene protocols.
Details: www.facebook.com/RBGSPCAPaws