GAWS asks community to donate to Winter Appeal

GEELONG Animal Welfare Society (GAWS) is encouraging residents to donate as the shelter’s Winter Appeal draws to a close.

GAWS CEO Helen Cocks said the 2023 Winter Appeal is an important fundraiser for the shelter, with donations closing on July 21.

“It pretty much sets us up for the next 12 months, so we are hopeful for more financial donations at the moment,” Ms Cocks said.

“Throughout the year, we ask donors to spare what they can whether it be blankets or food and a whole range of other resources, but the financial donations are really important during the Winter Appeal – we still have to pay our bills.”

The annual appeal has launched in the middle of June each year for the better half of a decade and has raised over $12,400 in 2023.

Ms Cocks says on average, it costs $55 a day per dog to cover their medical care and essentials and there are currently over 500 animals in the shelter at the moment.

GAWS also has a large foster program, constantly recruiting volunteers for the program which currently features 200 volunteers.

“All we ask is that if anyone can afford to consider us over the winter months, winter is pretty tough for everybody and the animals,” Ms Cocks said.

“We don’t have heating and cooling, so we do want them out into adoptions, and we found residents really responded well to our situation in recent months where we had close to 600 animals in care.

“In that period of time we were able to re-home over 100 animals in the space of nine days.”

GAWS marketing and community engagement officer Alexa Hayley said the shelter has cared for 3,428 companion animals in the past year with a rehoming rate of 90 per cent.

“That’s an excellent reuniting/rehoming rate for not just a rescue centre, but also a shelter, we’re one of the top performers in that respect across the state, last year we were competitive with RSPCA Vic,” Ms Hayley said.

“We’re very proud of that because we don’t get the same amount of funds and we have a smaller catchment of people to rely on.

“There is also a key misbelief by community that animal shelters, particularly GAWS, are funded by state and federal government, which we’re not – we’re a community funded shelter for the community.”

To make a donation to GAWS’ Winter Appeal before July 21, head to www.gaws.org.au