When Bonnie Learning got a call saying Nitassinan/Nunatsuak Supplies Inc. wanted to make a $30,000 donation to the Happy Valley-Goose Bay SPCA, her jaw dropped.
The company representative she spoke with inquired about the SPCA’s vet bill and offered to pay that off, too. The result was another $15,348.25 — over and above the $30,000 donation — off the organization’s books. The company’s owners have always supported the SPCA’s various fundraisers, but have never provided a donation to this extent. In fact, as far as Learning is aware, this is the single biggest donation from any one entity the SPCA that services the entirety of the Labrador region has ever received.
“I wasn’t prepared to sit by and watch them close the doors to something that we critically need here,” Hagerty told Saltwire Network. “You can’t put a price on the service they provide to the community.” He noted the company has been fortunate to be able to do some substantial business in Labrador, thanks to Vale and the Voisey’s Bay nickel mine it operates.It certainly does help, said Learning, who noted the SPCA has received more than $60,000 in support since publicly disclosing its operational woes. Some of the money has come from personal donations, while some supporters have organized fundraisers that have each generated as much as $1,000, $2,000 or more apiece.