Major donation helping local animal rescue build new home

D'Arcy's ARC, a Winnipeg animal rescue, has received a six-figure donation to help move into a larger facility.

A Winnipeg animal shelter is one step closer to building a new home, thanks to the help of a generous donor.

D’Arcy Johnston, owner of D’Arcy’s Animal Rescue Centre (ARC), said the shelter is looking to raise $1 million to build a larger facility.

“We don’t get any funding from the city or the government, so we have to learn to do everything on our own,” he said in an interview with CTV News on Thursday.

Though the fundraising campaign only recently launched, D’Arcy’s Arc is already well on its way to the million-dollar mark due to one major donation.

Johnston explained a generous donor helped the shelter reach 10 per cent of its goal after seeing a CTV News segment about the rescue’s need for funding.

In exchange, the rescue happily took in six cats from the donor, who was caring for the pets after her brother’s death.

“It was nice to have that support and that she really appreciated the work that we do,” Johnston said.

“And the fact that we can look out for these cats to the end of their life and actually take them into the new facility.”

To raise the rest of the money, D’Arcy’s Arc is offering donors a chance to sponsor rooms in the new shelter. More information on donations is available online.