BUSINESS

Facebook campaign leads to cat food donation

Lisa Depies

DR. MATT NELSON, back row, second from right, and staff members at Maple Ridge Vet Clinic in Geneseo recently donated 150 pounds of cat food to the Geneseo Animal Shelter. With Nelson are members of the animal shelter's board of directors. In front, Cindy Avey. Back row, from left: Brandi Littig, Amy Gadberry, Nelson and Paula Pritchard.

A few clicks of a computer mouse have helped feed kittens at Geneseo's animal shelter.

Dr. Matt Nelson, veterinarian and owner of Maple Ridge Vet Clinic, recently offered to donate a pound of kitten food to the shelter for every new "like" the Maple Ridge Vet Clinic Facebook page received.

"I was at a conference and was thinking about ways to help the local humane society," said Nelson. While attending a session on social media, Nelson came up with the idea of using his business' Facebook page to support the shelter.

"I didn't know what to expect (of the promotion)," he said. "I was hoping we'd get 100 new 'likes.'"

Instead, the clinic's page received 138 new "likes" and Nelson and his staff rounded their donation up to 150 pounds of food.

Nelson worked with his local supplier for Hill's Science Diet kitten food to provide the donation.

"It's an amazing donation," said Brandi Littig, a board member with the Henry County Humane Society - Geneseo.

"One of our biggest expenses is food," she explained.

A deal with Purina provides adult cat food for the shelter, but food for the kittens must be purchased.

"The majority of animals we have at the shelter are cats," said Littig. Because kitten season has become "almost year round," food for the kittens always is in demand.

"We have about 100 cats at the shelter now," said Littig. Feeding the shelter's cats requires between six and nine pounds of cat food daily.

"The shelter does a lot for animals in the community, and we wanted to do something for them," said Nelson.