October 15, 2019 —Sept. 6, 2019—Barclay Friends, a Kendal-affiliated community in West Chester, Pennsylvania, has always maintained a great relationship with the Brandywine Valley SPCA. Every month, puppies from the SPCA visit residents to sit in laps, snuggle, kiss and bring joy.
“It’s always the highlight of the week for both residents and staff,” said Elsabet Haile, Barclay Friends’ Recreation and Volunteer Director. This collaboration has been going on for four years and has even resulted in five adoptions by Barclay Friends staff and resident families.
The SPCA has also helped raise funds for Barclay Friends. Honors students at West Chester University coordinated a “Winter Puppyland” fundraiser in December 2017 in conjunction with the SCPA. The event raised over $2,500 to help Barclay Friends residents after a tragic November 2017 fire.
With all this goodwill, it was natural for Barclay Friends to make Brandywine Valley SPCA the focus of its latest “Give Back” campaign. Employees, residents, friends and families were asked to donate items for the SPCA. The community answered the call with blankets, towels, leashes, bags, kongs and peanut butter.
As the Give Back campaign entered its final week, however, Hurricane Dorian started to gain momentum and headed toward the United States. The hurricane left devastation in the Bahamas and made landfall in the Carolinas. The toll Dorian took on the people of the affected areas is unimaginable, and thousands of animals were also displaced.
Brandywine Valley SPCA has received more than 200 shelter evacuees from South Carolina and was in desperate need of supplies. Barclay Friends ended its campaign early and was able to donate 20 large bags full of donations to the shelter.
If you have been thinking about adopting an animal, the SPCA is now waving adoption fees for adult dogs (1-year-old and older, over 40 pounds) and adult cats (6-months-old and older). If you are not looking to make an addition to your family but would like to give back to the Brandywine Valley SPCA, learn about other ways to help out at https://bvspca.org/.