PawsRehoming has shared a clever idea to gift to less fortunate pooches this festive season and the idea is totally adaptable to cats too!
Boksburg, South Africa (30 November 2021) – Claudine Matthews who is better known as Claud in her community, started the “Xmas Box Lunch” initiative 6 years ago. She was unemployed at the time but still wanted to give back to those in need. She realised she could do far more good by creating relief in small amounts.
Claud started the PawsRehoming project to get aid to the animals in need. Her main focus is to help get township animals sterilised and while doing so, deals with emergency care, animal feeding schemes as well as her annual festive project.
The “Xmas Box Lunch” initiative was created to help feed more animals, without too much expense. The concept is simple, get hold of an ice cream tub or two and fill it with dog food and some treats. This would ensure less fortunate pooches would get a decent meal during the holiday season.
“I didn’t have any means to celebrate Christmas, as one traditionally does. In fact, I had NOTHING.
I decided to call for donations of a very simple/ inexpensive meal pack which I could go and hand out to hungry dogs across all informal settlements in the Boksburg/ Benoni surrounds over the Christmas period and on Christmas day.”
Claud found that many of the dogs in her surrounding townships had been left tied or chained up while their owners returned to their homelands. She was devastated and quickly started placing what little food she could collect, close to where the animals were.
Now six years later, the act has become a tradition. Claud plans to hand out the boxes collected, from the 16th of December 2021 to the 10th of January 2022. She hopes to collect as many as possible to make sure she reaches every dog and cat.
“Over this period it has become my tradition to hand out these box lunches to every single dog I come across in the settlements… or strays along any roadside, whether they are officially part of my regular outreach project or not.”
The boxes are made up as follows, you can adapt them to be age and species-appropriate (cat, dog, kitten, or puppy):
- 2-litre ice cream tub
- A portion of dog pellets (Tiny pellets if doing a puppy box)
- Two sachets ready gravy,
- Two biscuits,
- A chewy hoof
- Mark the lid of the container with cat, dog, kitten, or puppy.
Claud shared that while cats and kittens are present, the vast majority of her cases are dogs. Should you not be in Gauteng / Boksburg, Claud welcomes cash donations, she will go and purchase all the food needed and make up the boxes for her outreach pooches. Any leftover funds will be allocated to the veterinary bills for December. You can reach out via her number below to discuss any cash donations.
“You can co-coordinate the collection and then make contact with me ( 0846959887 ) to arrange the delivery/ drop off to an address I will provide when you call me ( Boksburg/ Gauteng )
Please remember, PAWSREHOMING is a ONE woman initiative….and I will have my hands OVERFLOWING with outreach/ emergencies to attend to over this period so I will not be able to collect and ask very graciously for you to make delivery to myself.”
You can find out more about the outreach projects via the Facebook page here. Claud urges everyone to reach out to the animal welfare organisations in their areas to offer assistance during December. She explains that the month is a big one for organisations as rises in animal abuse, neglect and hunger are seen. Every little bit helps!
Sources: PawRehoming
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