RBC’s Wayne Brakeboer had met directors of the Wishing Well Sanctuary, a shelter for rescued domestic farm animals in Bradford West Gwillimbury, but he had never visited the farm.
Until Sept. 19, that is, when he and Team RBC volunteers visited the sanctuary on Line 10 in BWG, to provide a helping hand and a $1,000 RBC Financial grant.
Team RBC volunteers offer hands-on assistance, and so far this year have done everything from rebuilding trails at Scanlon Creek, to restocking local food bank shelves.
This time they were asked to go a step further, and pick up ‘road apples’ from a horse paddock.
There’s good reason for removing the manure and keeping the paddock clean: it makes it easier to maintain the health of the rescued horses that have found a permanent home at Wishing Well.
Team RBC, donning rubber boots and gloves, cheerfully pitched in, and were rewarded with a tour of the shelter, which provides a home for so many animals, including pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens and ducks rescued from inappropriate homes or the slaughterhouse.
They were invited to visit the potbellied pigs, mistreated by backyard breeders or abandoned by owners who had little idea of the needs and characteristics of the animals who were once part of a pet fad.
“A lot of people purchase them because they think they’re like cats,” said Wishing Well volunteer Mona Finkelstein.
In fact, potbellied pigs can live up to 20 years, weigh up to 68 kilograms (150 pounds), are extremely intelligent, curious, and can be demanding. At Wishing Well, they receive food, freedom and “a lot of love,” and return the affection, said volunteer Art McDonald.
The RBC team fed the potbellied pigs before bedtime in the barn, and were invited to check in on the sanctuary’s miniature goats and the sheep pen where the animals had been secured for the night.
McDonald noted that, working with the rescues, he no longer sees goats and sheep – he sees ‘L’il Ricky’ ‘Sadie’ and ‘Meadow.’ Said McDonald: “It’s just the individual personalities that come out.”
The visit to Wishing Well Sanctuary marks the final Team RBC outreach in Bradford West Gwillimbury this year, but Brakeboer promised, “we’ll be out again for sure. This is great.”
For more information on the Team RBC community assistance program, contact Brakeboer, the bank’s community manager, at [email protected].
For information on Wishing Well Sanctuary, visit wishingwellsanctuary.org.
Wishing Well Sanctuary will be offering a tour on Sept. 29th, at 12:30 p.m. Cost is $20 per person, $60 for a family of four. And on Oct. 13, the shelter celebrates its seventh anniversary with a Fall Festival, featuring food, vendors, cruelty-free fashion, music, tours and more, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $7 per person, kids under three are free.
