February , 2022 

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Karen Peters and I am the Secretary/Treasurer/Director/Volunteer at Pets/Friends For Life in St. Thomas. We serve a large area around southwestern Ontario.

Pets/Friends For Life is a non-profit cat shelter for homeless and abandoned cat and kittens. We currently house and care for over 200 cats/kittens at our shelter. We provide veterinary care consisting of spaying/neutering, vaccinations and general health care. In 2021 we were able to find homes for 320 cats and kittens! Above all, we provide a safe and caring environment for these cats/kittens in a roam free facility.

Last year all of our reserve funds were used for a desperately needed roof repair leaving us with no fallback funds.  Operating costs have become higher each year. Without sufficient funds, we are unable to accept surrendered and abandoned felines. This puts many cats and kittens at risk of abandonment on the streets. In 2021 we accepted a record 530 cats and kittens into our shelter. Pets/Friends For Life is a no-kill shelter and as a result, many of our cats have been with us for a significant period of time, in some cases several years. This also increases our veterinarian costs as we look after the long term health needs of our cats.  We are hoping to recoup a reserve fund for unexpected expenses and also to fundraise enough to help secure the shelter’s daily operations.

We operate solely on donations and fundraisers. We are currently requesting donations of items, coupons, gift certificates, services etc for our major annual fundraiser which this year will be another online event! Our “HOP INTO SPRING !” event will consist of an online Facebook auction over the course of roughly three weeks from April 16-May 7, 2022, allowing for a wider audience of bidders! The purpose of this event is to raise funds to help secure our ability to continue to care for these cats and to raise public awareness about pet abandonment, pet surrenders and shelter life. We would appreciate your consideration in a donation, no later than March 31/22, of some kind for our purpose. Sponsors for this event will be acknowledged in our auction. Every penny that is raised goes directly back into the shelter to support our cats.

If your require any further information or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at 226-236-4942 or call the shelter at 519-631-5757.

Sincerely,

Karen Peters Secretary/Treasurer Pets/Friends For Life