(Facebook/Enspired Entertainment)

By Nigel Maxwell

Healthy communities

Local business makes mask comfort device with proceeds to help animal rescue groups

Apr 15, 2020 | 8:00 AM

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile disc jockey companies have taken a large financial scratch, losing a lot of scheduled bookings. The owners of Enspired Entertainment are doing their best, however, to turn a negative into a positive.

Jay Anthony and Colton Cartier are busy making extensions for masks to remove elastic pressure on a wearer’s ears and cinch the device tighter to the face.

“The entertainment industry is at a complete halt and a person gets to make two choices. You can sit around and do nothing and hope for the best or you can be part of the solution,” Anthony said.

The extensions come in three sizes: small, medium and large. (Facebook/Enspired Entertainment)

Anthony said they have distributed over 30 extensions so far to local clinics. While there is no charge, Anthony has requested those who receive the masks to make a donation to a pair of causes close to his own heart — the Canine Action Project and SOS Prairie Rescue.

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“It is really fantastic to give out these items to everybody, but it’s also an opportunity to raise awareness for a section of the economy that is at a halt as well and it’s a section that tends to slip peoples’ minds, especially during times like these,” he said.

SOS Praire Rescue deals strictly with cat rescues in rural areas, which don’t have access to shelters. Vice president Geena Messenger said in recent weeks staff have seen an increase in offers to foster, but added funds have decreased along with food and cat litter donations.

“I go through more money worth of litter than I do food,” she said.

The group started taking intakes last September and Messenger said they have already rescued over 130 cats. A large portion came from local farms.

“We are working with about five of them who had more than over 20 cats. So people keep just dumping cats on the farm and the cats keep breeding,” she said. “We also help people who have just found a cat under their deck.”

The Canine Action Project (CAP) assists Saskatchewan First Nation communities by humanely managing their dog populations. Vice president Megan Schmitz said one of the biggest challenges they face is a lack of provincial and federal funding.

“As a completely volunteer operated organization, we rely on fundraisers, grants and donations to carry out our programs that will improve the health and safety of both people and dogs living in Saskatchewan’s First Nation communities,” she said, adding as a result of the COVID situation all their outreach and onsite programs have been postponed.

As an added challenge, many Saskatchewan First Nation communities are currently on lockdown. Schmitz explained her group has at least been fortunate in that many of the communities have deemed their work to be an essential service. Volunteers have been given access to Indigenous nations to pick up donations or tend to an emergency call.

“Just a couple days ago we got a call from a guy whose dog was beat up by the neighbourhood dogs in the community and that the dog had a three-inch gash on his leg. With our emergency medical fund we were able to share the vet bill with the owner,” Schmitz said.

The Canine Action Project has been running since 2012, and over the past eight years have held 13 onsite spay/neuter clinics in 10 First Nation communities. (submitted photo/Megan Schmitz)

Schmitz said she deeply appreciates the work Anthony and Cartier are doing, adding both are long time supporters of the work CAP does.

“It’s always awesome to have extra support from them and I love that they are doing this to give back to the health care providers that are so essential right now,” she said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell