Northern Animal Rescue assisted more than 400 animals in 2020. (Submitted photo/Northern Animal Rescue)

By Derek Cornet

Good Deeds

Hope and the Future: NAR optimistic for future growth

Dec 24, 2020 | 12:00 PM

The COVID-19 pandemic makes 2020 a year many may prefer to forget but there is hope for the future. We’ve decided to make that the focus of our series of end-of-year stories.

Northern Animal Rescue (NAR) Executive Director Joanne Dickson believes the future is bright for the non-profit.

“We’re not going to give up anytime soon,” she said. “We’re looking at different avenues. Usually, the main issue for charities and non-profits is definitely funding, so we will be looking into different sources of funding to help us stay afloat.”

Like many other charities, 2020 proved to be a difficult year for NAR as board members had to come up with additional ways to fundraise as annual events held prior to the pandemic couldn’t be planned. Dickson explained they were able to host an online auction and curbside bottle drive instead, which generated close to $5,000.

NAR was also the successful recipient of two major grants totalling $18,500 with $11,000 from PetSmart and $7,500 from The CanFel Foundation. The bulk of the funds from CanFel have already been used to assist in the cost to spay and neuter 25 pets.

Riderville

Now for the Hard Part

Dec 10, 2025

Grey Cup!!!

Everything you wanted and more

Nov 21, 2025

open house

Surplus forecasted for 2026 La Ronge operating budget

Nov 17, 2025

“We’re still hopeful for 2021,” she said. “We are looking at trying to get more funding, maybe look at approaching some of the municipalities. Also, maybe entering into some contracts with different groups. We also have a bit of a lead on some corporate funding we’re going to be looking into big time.”

Northern Animal Rescue currently consists of a 12-person board including Chairperson Genevieve Candelora, Colleen Clark, Dickson, Jordan Denton, Maija Enns, Courtney Fiske, Logan Fiske, Vice-Chairperson Rebecca Galloway, Max Karnitsky, Melissa MacLean, Alex Munro and Jamie Woodhouse-McKenzie.

Dickson noted in 2020 there was some turnover in board members and six new people were recruited.

“We have some strong board members who are really bringing energy to the table and good ideas and that’s what we needed right now,” she said. “We were really pleasantly surprised there was good interest in our board and people still wanting to help out.”

In 2019, NAR took in 581 animals and this year Dickson expects the number to be just over 400. Without the support from the public, she said none of it would have been possible.

“Thanks so much to everyone who has continued to donate food and various supplies to NAR,” Dickson said. “We have a lot of really good volunteers locally and that always helps an organization such as ourselves to keep our finances in check and it just helps us to keep going.”

–

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @saskjourno