By Emma Braithwaite, Staff Writer

Homeless animals all across Dare County will soon have a new place to call their home. The Outer Banks Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OBX SPCA) is building a new shelter in Manteo, but in order to fill the shelter with the necessities, the SPCA needs some help. 

Back on Sept. 15, the OBX SPCA started a fundraiser called the “Brick by Brick, Paw after Paw Fundraiser,” selling bricks for $100 that will later be placed outside of the new building. The fundraiser runs until Jan. 4, 2021, to continue raising money for the new shelter.

“The bricks are for sale in order to support the furnishing of the interior of the new building,” said Audrey Blocker, OBX SPCA Growth & Community Outreach director. “That can be any sort of equipment that we’ll be needing in order to accommodate all the animals.”

In order to get all the supplies they need, the SPCA’s goal is to sell 500 bricks by the time the fundraiser ends.

“It’s the gift-giving season, so we’re hoping that community members – and even people around the country that have been purchasing bricks – take this as an opportunity to purchase a meaningful gift for someone that isn’t just a material item,” Blocker said. “It’s going to be a long-lasting legacy for the homeless animals of the Outer Banks.”

You can buy a brick for yourself or buy one as a gift for someone else. The bricks also can be purchased and used as dedications for loved ones who have passed. If your business wants to purchase a brick, you can add your business’ logo for an additional $15.

For additional information or if you want to purchase a brick for yourself or others, follow this link: https://www.obxspca.org/brickbybrick.

“They say ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ ” the OBX SPCA says on its website. “But it also takes a village to raise an Animal Shelter!”

Sophomore Emma Braithwaite can be reached at 23braithwaiteem06@daretolearn.org.