The Slave Lake Animal Shelter has received a $7,500 donation from GFL Environmental to help care for animals in the community.

Representatives from GFL presented the donation to the shelter on Aug. 25 as part of the company’s Full Circle Project.

The Full Circle Project is GFL’s community-driven charitable giving program, which supports local organizations in communities where the company operates.
GFL customers can vote for the types of causes they would like the company to support, with animal welfare among the program’s seven charitable categories.

Rodney Vajna, GFL operations manager for Slave Lake, says the project gives the company an opportunity to support organizations in the communities where it operates.

“It’s a way that GFL can give back to the community that it’s in,” says Vajna.

This is the third consecutive year GFL has made a donation to the Slave Lake Animal Shelter.

Vajna says GFL first began donating to the shelter through the project three years ago and has continued annually since then.

For Denise McIntyre of the Slave Lake Animal Shelter, the ongoing support from a local company means a lot.

“It’s pretty cool that we have such awesome support from one of our local companies,” says McIntyre.

She says GFL has supported the shelter in other ways over the years.
This includes sponsoring food and beverages for its annual dog walk the shelter had before.

The $7,500 does not have to go toward one particular expense.
Instead, McIntyre says it will help the shelter wherever the need is greatest.
This can include veterinary care, food and other expenses that are not covered through donations from other sources.

“It just goes in a general donation pot, basically,” she says.

The shelter has been operating since 2005.

McIntyre says support from businesses and organizations has played a role throughout its more than 20 years of operation.

She says several corporations have donated to the shelter over the years, but GFL has become one of its regular supporters in recent years.
For Vajna, the relationship is something the company hopes to continue.
He says he is happy to be part of an organization that encourages employees to become involved in the communities where they live and work.

“I am glad to be a part of an organization that wants to help and give back to the community,” says Vajna.

He says GFL also recognizes the challenges the animal shelter can face when more animals need its services.

“The influx of animals that are coming in can be a hardship for them,” he says.
Because of that, Vajna says the company wants its support for the shelter to become an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time contribution.
“We’re trying to build a partnership with the animal shelter,” he says. “We want to try and maintain that relationship.”

For the shelter, donations such as this one provide flexibility to respond to the different needs of the animals that come through its doors.
Whether the money helps cover veterinary treatment, food or another expense, McIntyre says the support is appreciated.

And after three consecutive years of donations, GFL and the Slave Lake Animal Shelter hope the partnership will continue.

Julia Magsombol
Lakeside Leader