Recently I heard that some Sooke folks were no longer allowed to get assistance with pet food from the good folks at the critter food bank.
These folks are from Sooke and the good folks from the Victoria Pet Food Bank “Boneless Project” are from Sooke also. So what’s going on?
I spoke with Margarita, a woman I’ve known for quite a few years. I know she’d help a critter at the drop of a hat, a needy human too. Margarita is all about the critters.
There is very little support from Sooke, it’s retail stores or private donations. In a lovely giving place like Sooke, I find this lack of support for needy critters unusual and concerning.
I was there when she decided to open her rescue society. All the legalities can be daunting, but Margarita went through every laborious step, and her society is fully legal now.
A year or so ago there were a few kerfuffles between some citizens and Margarita’s Society. I’m sure hindsight has shown both sides could have handled it better.
It’s what continued after the kerfuffles that seems to have caused enough bad vibes and bad publicity, that many of Sooke’s businesses have taken the rescue societies donations boxes out.
The outcome is little or no donated pet food for the local needy critters. The bulk of the food that is donated now, is donated in the Victoria area, so it’s only the needy critters in the areas the food comes from that get first dibs. And as I’m sure many are aware, the amount of needy critters is growing.
The homeless crisis has created many abandoned critters. There are so many critters that need help. Margaritas’ Society works so hard to help as many critters as they can. It’s sad that local critters needing help won’t get as much as they need.
Wanda Sanford
Sooke