A LITTLE care for your pets could help boost funds for grassroots charities that are feeling the squeeze in what people can give amid rising living costs.
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Ballarat-based not-for-profit KIDS Foundation, promoting child injury prevention and helping children with trauma, and Chez Guy Small Animal Rescue are a special focus in Petstock's annual Home Town Heroes fundraising campaign.
For the first time, The Petstock Foundation has guided stores to choose a local charity to benefit from the drive rather than a statewide push.
For KIDS Foundation founder and chief executive officer Susie O'Neill every bit counts even more. KIDS Foundation will be using funds from the campaign to help fund its new equine therapy program.
Dr O'Neill said KIDS Foundation was trying to look at how loose change could add up, such as $250 to put one child through a prevention program for the year.
"There are certainly challenges at the moment," Dr O'Neill said. "As much as people want to give, day-to-day they don't have the extra funds to give away but they still want to find ways to help.
"...[Growing programs] means we can gain strength and opportunities by putting programs in place and sets up the foundation for life."
Chez Guy Small Animal Rescue's Brenda Guy said increasing living costs in the community was particularly telling in a "quiet" adoption period.
Ms Guy said they were finding it was often the initial outlay costs, rather than weekly food and care costs, that were putting people off adopting a furry friend. She said this was a trend other rescue groups across the state had also been finding.
Funds from the Petstock Home Town Heroes campaign will add to Chez Guy's de-sexing program in kittens.
"It's a good time before spring and kitten season, while it's a quieter time of year, to get de-sexing," Ms Guy said. "Often people might pick up a kitten for free but don't have the funds to de-sex and so, we can get a huge influx of kittens."
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Petstock teams have been planning their own fundraising and dress up themes in stores to rally for their chosen cause.
The Petstock Foundation operations lead Sherralea Cassidy said the financial crisis was hitting everyone hard and, with many amazing grassroots charities out there, all efforts were helping people and animals in each store's community.
"A lot [of charities] are doing stuff silently that some times you don't always notice," she said. "...If they don't have funds, there is a danger this work will cease."
The Petstock Foundation will triple all Home Town Heroes donations (up to $25,000 in total) on Saturday and Sunday. People can also help their store's cause by rounding up purchases or buying a helping heart this month.
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