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Yellowknife men give back
Fundraising group nears $40,000 donation target with $11,500 gift to NWT SPCA

Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Friday, October 21, 2016

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A group of men is proving a little can go along way when everyone comes together.

NNSL photo/graphic

Nicole Spencer of the NWT SPCA, left, accepts $11,500 from Garrett Hinchey, co-founder of 100 Men Who Give A Damn Yellowknife at the SPCA shelter this past Thursday. The donation was the third from the group, which has donated more than $35,000 since the beginning of the year. - photo courtesy of Garrett Hinchey

Since forming a team in February, 100 Men Who Give a Damn Yellowknife has raised more than $35,000 for three local charities, with one more donation left on their plate before the year comes to a close.

"Honestly, the uptake was beyond what we expected," said co-founder Garrett Hinchey.

"The community is very charitable and people are always looking for ways to help out and give back."

The Yellowknife group is one of several branches of 100 Men Who Give a Damn across the country aiming to raise at least $40,000 for local charities in a single year.

They meet every three months, committing to pool $100 per person each time toward a good cause.

Over the course of their one-hour meetings, the group randomly draws three charities that are worthy of receiving their donation and then vote for their top choice.

"Within an hour we've committed at least $10,000," Hinchey said.

Last Thursday, the group made its third donation, this time to the NWT SPCA. The organization received $11,500 - a much needed boost that will help cover the shelter's operating costs.

"We don't get any funding from the government or anything, so it takes a lot of money to run the shelter," NWT SPCA president Nicole Spencer said.

The donation will help the SPCA pay for a range of things, from veterinary services to food to animal care and cleaning supplies, which have all been stretched thin lately as the shelter is nearing capacity for dogs.

"We're quite busy," Spencer said, explaining the shelter can hold about 30 dogs and currently has 25 in its care. "A lot of dogs and cats means a lot of money."

Spencer said the NWT SPCA had been hoping to receive a donation from 100 Men Who Give a Damn Yellowknife. They were pleasantly surprised when the grand total rang in at more than $10,000 - the amount of money expected if just 100 men did their part at the latest meeting.

"We do have regular donors who give every month or a few times a year and they're all very important. It all adds up," Spencer said.

"Something like this where it's almost $12,000 is a big deal," she said. "It keeps us going."

The Yellowknife Scouts received 100 Men Who Give a Damn's first donation of $12,400 in March, followed by Habitat for Humanity NWT in May, with $12,280.

Nearly 120 men came out to the group's inaugural meeting in February - a significant figure for a city of under 20,000 when compared to the initial turnout of 70 or 80 men in a bigger city like Windsor, Ont., Hinchey said.

Support has continued to grow since then.

Hinchey said the group receives e-mails on a regular basis from Yellowknifers interested in starting a 100 Women or 100 People Who Give a Damn.

While no such group has been formed yet, Hinchey said he and the men involved in his group are more than ready to help get a similar group off the ground.

"I think it really spoke to a lot of people because it was simple and made a lot stronger of an impact than just giving money yourself," Hinchey said of the concept.

"I think it really speaks to Yellowknife as a community."

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