Fundraising for the annual Lock-in for Love event kicks off Tuesday, June 1 lasting until June 24. (SPCA)

By Spencer Sterritt

fundraiser

Nanaimo SPCA’s virtual Lock-in for Love kicks off with large matching donation

Jun 1, 2021 | 12:06 PM

NANAIMO — One of the SPCA’s largest fundraisers has started with a big push.

Leon Davis, executive director of the Nanaimo and District SPCA, said a generous gift is doubling donations given when people sign up for the annual Lock-in for Love fundraiser.

“When you register, you have the option to kick off your fundraising off with a donation to yourself. Because it’s launch day, Hills Pet Nutrition Canada is matching self-donations up to $30,000 during registration today. Your donation will be doubled today, which is amazing.”

Davis said this was one of the largest matching donations he could recall in the many years of the annual event.

Each SPCA branch hosts its own event and money stays in the community it was raised.

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“In Nanaimo, our medical bills alone are between $7,000 and $9,000 a month and that is all paid through donations,” Davis said.

In pre-pandemic years, up to 10 people would fundraise through June and be locked in a kennel, requiring more donations to be unlocked.

Now, for the second year in a row, Lock-in for Love is going virtual.

“We thought with COVID we’re all locked in at home anyway, so lets see if we can do a virtual home edition. Last year was a great success.”

Davis said he hopes a virtual aspect of the fundraiser remains in future years, since it allows so many more participants.

“We could have 10, 20, 100 people in the community registered and fundraising. If everyone only raised $50, it would mean the world for our branch.”

Anyone interesting in registering can do so online.

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spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt