“It’s for the animals, not the shine” – that was the message received with the proof of payment from an anonymous donor who sent R140,000 to help the Cat Angel Refuge finally purchase their property.
Zeerust, South Africa (01 June 2023) – And just like that, the worry of keeping a roof over the heads of their rescues vanished! Joanne Wilson was left stunned when she received a proof of payment for a donation of R140,000 – exactly what the Cat Angel Refuge needed to finally be able to purchase the property it has used for the last few years.
In early May, we published a final push story to help the Refuge hopefully raise the final R140,000 needed to purchase their property. Joanne Wilson, the Director and fundraiser for the organisation, shared that they had a deadline of the end of May. She had hoped lots of people would give a little, she never imagined one person would give so much.
It all started in early September 2022, when the Cat Angels Refuge sent out a desperate plea for help to raise funds to purchase the property they used to service the majority of the North West province. They either had to purchase the property outright, or move the rescue organisation. Closing was a last resort and would have left a whole section of the North West without an animal welfare organisation; they work as far as Kleinfontien, which is 207km away.
The organisation was renting the old premises where the SPCA used to operate. The SPCA closed its doors in 2012, and Angels stepped in to fill the gap that was left. The landlord had offered for the organisation to use the property for free but with the agreement that they would purchase the premises outright in 2022. That was before 2020 but with so much need during the pandemic, they never managed to put aside the full amount to purchase the property.
Initially, the Refuge had managed to raise over R175,000, which was placed in a Bidvest call account to be used towards the purchase of the property. They then launched a BackaBuddy fund in the hopes of raising the balance for the property.
Originally, the total needed for the property was R750,000 but the landlord offered a massive price reduction and the team needed to only raise R450,000 plus transfer costs. This made their chances of purchase much higher so they quickly started campaigning.
They worked tirelessly, raising funds where ever they could. Joanne and her team never gave up.
“The power of collective love for us and the animals with donations from R5 to R140 000 meant we have a secure base and hope for the animals.”
With the biggest worry out of the way, Joanne and her team can now focus fully on animal welfare. They are hoping to finally upgrade the kennels for the cats and dogs now that they will be the property owners. This will give each of their residents a much better quality of life.
As with any animal welfare organisation, they constantly work towards paying off vet bills, and buying much-needed food and treats. If you would like to support them in other ways, you can reach out via Facebook here.
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