By Dianne Cornish, REVIEW STAFF

Last year, Waterdown and area residents reached deep into their hearts and pocketbooks to raise funds for the local animal shelter by donating to the annual Show Us Your Heart campaign sponsored by Global Pet Foods and Hill’s Science Diet. For as little as a loonie, donors were were able to provide meaningful support for the project because every dollar was matched by the campaign sponsors.

During the one-week campaign in 2011, a little over $800 was raised to help pay for the spaying and neutering of abused or abandoned cats and dogs cared for by Animal Adoptions Flamborough (AAF). This year, with the campaign extended to two weeks, Cindy Scott, manager of Global Pet Foods in the Waterdown Shopping Centre, is hoping to better last year’s total at the store, as well as nationwide. The campaign raised $100,000 across Canada in 2011.

“Our customer base is very generous and very supportive of AAF,” Moore said last week. “I’m really hopeful we can raise more for a really, really good cause,” she added.  “It’s all about the animals, for me.

“It means everything to us,” Mary Lamb, president of AAF, said of the money collected during the campaign, now in its seventh year. “It keeps us operating in the red and that’s important for a non-profit organization.”

AAF is a registered charity with a no-kill policy. Volunteer-run and completely funded by private donations and fundraisers, it operates a shelter on Mill Street North and cares for as many 130 cats at a time. Notall of the animals are housed at the shelter, Lamb said, explaining that many cats and all dogs are placed in foster homes in Waterdown, Guelph and Cambridge until a secure and loving home is found for them.

Jeff Adema, a co-operative education counselor at Waterdown District High School, is one of AAF’s many fans. He’s impressed by the charity’s screening policy for matching pets with owners and its willingness to give back to the community by supporting the co-op placement program and providing students with experience in the work world.

“I’m really impressed by what it (AAF) does, not only for the animals but for the students in our community,” Adema said, noting that he’s placed more than a dozen young people to work at the shelter. “The way they nurture those cats; that’s the way they nurture the young people in our community.”

The Show Us Your Heart Fundraiser runs from February 1 to 14. There are three ways to support the campaign: make a donation at the Waterdown store at 255 Dundas Street East; text the word “HEART” to 20222 to make a $5 donation or visit Facebook.com/globalpetfoods to make an online donation through PayPal. Those making an in-store donation will be given a chance to enter a contest to win a year’s supply of Hill’s Science Diet pet food. Those who donate online are entered in a draw to win one of five $100 Global Pet Foods gift cards.

Area residents are also encouraged to take part in the pet food store’s second annual Tweet-A-Thon to promote the campaign. Share your reasons for donating on your tweet followed by #showusyourheart.

As an extension of the campaign, the  store is introducing the Heroic Heart Service Award this March to honour incredible animal caregivers across the country. Starting March 1, local shelter volunteers can be nominated for the award either at the store or online. Please visit Facebook.com/globalpetfoods for more details.

February is also a big month for AAF for another reason. For the first time, the charity is offering to adopt its cats throughout the month for the special price of $50, well below the usual fee of $135. All of the cats have been vet checked, vaccinated, microchipped and spayed/neutered.

“Studies point out that pets provide people with social support, stress relief and many other health benefits,” Lamb said, adding that the charity hopes to see many of its cats adopted throughout February. “Please open your heart to give these animals a new start.”

For more details, call 905-689-4972.