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Charity floods SPCA
7/18/2008 12:04 AM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By HALEY HUGHES

Staff writer

The community's response after news broke of the pet food theft at the Aiken SPCA has been "overwhelming," said Executive Director Gary Willoughby.

The shelter's food storage shed that was left nearly bare after a July Fourth weekend robbery has been wonderfully replenished. Bags and cans of dog and cat food now line the walls where practically none remained.

"I estimate we now have $5,000 worth of dog food," Willoughby said Thursday. "This has well exceeded our expectations. We have got lots of great animals looking for homes, and they're all well fed."

Shelter officials say they opened the shed after the recent holiday weekend to find it had been nearly emptied of pet food. All of the dog food had been taken and much of the cat food. Willoughby estimates 700 to 800 pounds of food had been stolen.

The lock on the shed appeared not to have been tampered with. Prior to this incident, several shelter employees had keys to access the shed.

The SPCA has been accepting donations at its Wire Road facility and also at its thrift shop on Park Avenue.

West Side Bowery owners Sam and Donna Erb said they were disturbed by news of the theft. They set up a donation bin inside the restaurant Thursday morning. By that afternoon, they had received four bags of food and cash donations.

Sam Erb challenges other area restaurants to step up to the plate to aid the SPCA.

"I'm calling this 'Area Restaurants for the SPCA.' We want to get these other restaurants involved," Erb said.

Pet food can be dropped off at West Side Bowery, located at 151 Bee Lane S.W.

Young Aiken actor Bo Mitchell took several bags of food to the SPCA Thursday. He said he went right to the store to buy them once he heard the news.

"I thought how crazy it is to steal dog food," Mitchell said. "Why would you steal from pets? What did they do to you? I hope they (whoever did this) gets caught."

The SPCA would like Pedigree dry food for dogs, Whiskas dry food for cats and any type of canned food. Monetary donations will be accepted, too. Donations can be dropped off at the Aiken SPCA, 401 Wire Road, or at the SPCA Thrift Shop, 220 Park Ave. S.E.

For more information on donating, call the SPCA at 648-6863.





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