Next Chapter Animal Rescue accepts more than just dog and cat items as donations they can take almost anything, thanks to their on-site thrift store.
The thrift store, located in a small shack in the parking lot of Next Chapter Animal Rescue, was lovingly renovated into a welcoming space that’s packed to the rafters and is nearly a year old.
It began with a soft opening in October 2024, followed by a grand opening in November and it’s now filled with fun finds, clothing, household items, and plenty of dog and cat accessories.
Lindsey Rutsch, the fundraising and marketing coordinator for Next Chapter Animal Rescue, says the store came from a shared dream with Executive Director Mackenzie.
“It was mostly her; I just followed along for the ride. It’s both of our, kind of dream to have a store, so she knew I’d be crazy enough to be like, yeah, let’s do this.”
Donations for the store come in every day, says Rutsch, and volunteers handle everything, sorting, cleaning, pricing, and even running the store.
“It’s run completely by volunteers, so every single penny we make there goes directly back to the animals in care,” says Rutsch.
Volunteers also get creative, building snuffle mats and toys out of unsellable blankets and fabrics to further support fundraising efforts.
But there are even more ways to help, the rescue also accepts bottle donations year-round.
Our friends at Mr. Mikes in Lacombe recently donated their bottles to the rescue, so Sunny 94.1 followed suit and rounded up all our bottles from the Kickoff to Lacombe Days BBQ.
“Each of those bags is about $10 with the bottles, so even two or three, that pays for a dewormer, that pays for a microchip, that pays for a vaccination. And when you have 200 animals, every single dollar and every single bag counts because yeah, it helps pay for the things that they need." says Rutsch.
“It’s one of our biggest, probably, fundraisers where we don’t have to do a ton of work, it just helps people clear out their garages and everything else.”
So, if your next summer project is to clean up, know that almost anything you’re getting rid of can help animals in care at Next Chapter Animal Rescue.
For more information about the thrift store and its hours, visit their website or social media.
Bottle donations can be dropped off any time at Next Chapter Animal Rescue near the dumpster in the parking lot.
(39144 Range Rd 274, Red Deer)
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