KARIEGA – What started as a simple plea to help find a lost dog has blossomed into a remarkable R15,000 donation to the SPCA Uitenhage, showcasing the power of community spirit and radio’s ability to unite people for a common cause.
LuisterFM presenter Etienne Calitz had no idea that his on-air appeal to help reunite a missing dog with its family would trigger such an extraordinary chain of generosity.
After hearing broadcast details of the lost pet during his time slot, listeners mobilised quickly, and within just three hours, the dog was found safe and sound.
However, the story didn’t end with the happy reunion. Grateful listeners presented Calitz with a R5,000 reward for his efforts, which he immediately decided to donate towards dog food for the SPCA Uitenhage.
Word of his generous gesture spread, inspiring City Wide Security and We Sell Houses each to contribute an additional R5,000, bringing the total donation to R15,000.
Speaking to UD Express, Calitz shared that he was surprised to learn that the dog owners had decided to donate money to the station to say thank you for getting the word out there.
Upon finding out that he had been given R5,000, he spoke to his manager to discuss what to do with the funds. The manager suggested donating it to the SPCA, an initiative he was gladly on board with.
“I was on air with Simon Clark, from We Sell Houses and told him about the generous donation we got from the family after their dog was returned, to which Simon agreed to match the donation to SPCA without hesitation. The same with CityWide. I had an interview with their owner and I dropped the bomb on him as well. He told me that he would match the R5,000 as well.
“With that R15,000, we arranged with Jeffrey from Mr Dog Dry Food to get dog food for the SPCA. We managed to buy 1375 kg of dog food with that donation.”
Simon and Monique Clark, the owners of We Sell Houses, shared why they decided to match the donation, “We are a community company, with a policy that we advertise where we know the revenue generated from our advertising spend is going towards a worthy cause, like schools or a shelter. We also believe in rescuing animals as we have three rescues already. When I heard of this, I didn’t even need to ask my wife, Monique about the donation because I knew she would have agreed,” said Simon.
Monique added, “It is comforting knowing what our donation is going to be used for – feeding animals. We know what the SPCA are doing for the community, so helping them is just incredible for us. Giving back is somewhat second nature to us. If we sell a home in Jeffreys Bay, where we are primarily situated, we give back to that community. We spread the love and help wherever, even schools, so it is not just animals. We believe we are the agents you can bank on.”
The Clarks added that they are happy to help where they can. Should a school or organisation be in need, they can contact the pair by email at sold@wesellhouses.co.za.
Kaylin Mattheus from City Wide Security shared that animal welfare is one of the things they are passionate about. “We have done donations in the past and here we are all animal lovers. We are aware that households can only donate so much, but we as companies, believe that we can help more in our community if we band together. There are so many animals out there that need help – if we can help the SPCA, then they can help those animals.”
Mattheus added, “As we are the men in black who have your back, we are very proud of what we do for our clients and community at large. So we hope that other organisations can see what we are doing here and accept the challenge we started off by donating to a worthy cause. The three companies here combined have donated about 35 bags of dog food to the tune of R15,000 and we challenge other organisations to do the same.”
Speaking about the generosity, SPCA chairperson Deirdre Swift said, “When Etienne contacted me, I was quite speechless. When he let me know that there were three different organisations and companies that were involved, it makes a huge difference to us. What is so encouraging about it is that they came of their own accord. Yes, we put out an appeal because we had little food, but it still doesn’t mean that one should be as generous as this. Obviously, for us, this displays a lot of compassion for animals in need. So this kind of support is just fantastic.”
In the past few weeks, there has been an outpouring of support to the SPCA from the public, mostly from anonymous individuals.
Swift said, “We cannot thank the public enough for their donations. People have responded positively to our appeal. It has been absolutely amazing. We wouldn’t ask if we really didn’t need it. We must not forget those that have made financial contributions. They’ve paid EFT money into our bank account towards whatever we need – because obviously we’ve got kittens, puppies and adult dogs. So the puppies have different food from the adult dogs.
“The problem with most of those donations is that there is no contact number, so there is no way that we can thank them. Yes, we did put a post out, but it would be nice to mention them, because we would love to thank them personally; it is important that they get recognised for their contribution,” she said.
With the substantial amount of dog food that has come in, Swift mentioned that the SPCA has a wish list on their website that outlines all their needs.
“A little while ago we didn’t have enough blankets and we had our blanket thermometer running and the public brought us blankets, but what we need to remember is those blankets need to be washed.
“So you need washing powder and obviously you need bigger things – you always need washing machines or you need tyres for your vehicles, or you need money for fuel because obviously we do all the fieldwork as well, the cruelty investigations and things, and that costs to do that.”
Swift explained that smaller items that people don’t often think about include simple things like bleach for disinfecting, automatic washing powder, toilet paper, kitchen roll towels for the bathrooms, and products such as F10.
“I think we should be fine for dog food for now, but obviously those are also the things that people can either phone us up about or they can have a look at our website for our updated wish list with all the other things that we need to keep this organisation running.
“Not everybody can afford to go out and buy a bag of dog food, because it’s expensive. Maybe they could buy a little packet of kitchen roll. Every single thing saves us.”
For more information on how to assist, contact the SPCA on 041 922 4528.
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