The Critter Rescue SA team added an 11th charity to the Christmas Buckets campaign this year, meaning they could feed around 3,000 animals over the festive season.
South Africa (16 August 2024) – Critter Rescue SA has added an 11th fellow animal welfare charity to its Christmas Bucket campaign this year, pushing the need up to 75 buckets in total. They have done this to reach as many animals as they can over the festive season. With that many buckets, and each one feeding 40 dogs, they could reach 3,000 animals if they raise enough for the 2024 goal.
The organisation takes in the smaller creatures that are often forgotten about; they care for rabbits, hedgehogs, and many other cute critters. Despite their focus being on small animals, each year, they run a Christmas Bucket project to feed dogs in need. This year, celebrating the 6th annual event, they aimed to feed dogs from 10 other organisations, but that changed, and they added ‘PETS JHB – Pet Empowerment in Townships’ too.
Critter Rescue SA was founded in 2018 to help care for these little critters who are abandoned or abused. Currently, the organisation is caring for hundreds of animals. These include rats, bunnies, hedgehogs, tenrecs, hamsters, guinea pigs, chinchillas, reptiles and degus.
It started when Karien van Wyk did a home check for Lauren Namer, who founded the Little Critter Rescue Club. Lauren needed to close the organisation, so Karien offered to take it over. CRSA was officially registered as a non-profit organisation in September 2018 and received its NPO status in October 2018.
The team rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes various critters and sometimes even cats, dogs or birds. Some of the residents have taken up long-term space with Karien due to old age or specific health issues.
Every Christmas, Karien and her team raise funds and collect dog food to feed the dogs living in surrounding shelters and through outreach programmes. They fill a bucket that can feed around 40 dogs and deliver it to the shelters and outreaches.
The team started collecting buckets early this year. They will be supporting the following organisations in 2024:
1. SPOT – Sunny’s Pet Outreach Team NPC – Brakpan
2. Thaba Tshwane Dogs
3. Paws R Us: SA
4. Maltese, French Poodle & Yorkie Rescue South Africa
5. Border Collie Rescue SA
6. Husky Heaven Rescue – NPC 2014/153344/08
7. Friends Of Rottweiler Rescue
8. Tiny Paws Rescue SA
9. The Animal Guardians – TAG
10. CLAW (Community-Led Animal Welfare)
11. PETS JHB – Pet Empowerment in Townships
If you want to support the cause, you can donate to Critter Rescue South Africa below. Each bucket costs R350 and will feed many hungry bellies over the festive season:
Critter Rescue SA
FNB Business Account
Account Number: 62781751716
Branch Code: 250-655
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Reference: Name and Lunches
You can reach out to the team via email here should you need any more information.
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