Saskatoon’s Next Level Game Exchange hit a milestone birthday on Saturday, and the store’s owner, Anthony Foster, and his team opted to use the celebration to help a good cause. “We’re celebrating the store’s 20th anniversary this weekend. And in doing so, we’re trying to give back to the community. We’re hosting the SPCA, and we’re doing a cat adoption live in store,” Foster said. In addition to the in-store adoptions, Next Level Game Exchange also opted to sponsor the spay and neuter fees for 10 adoptions. According to Raina Schaefer, a coordinator assistant with the SPCA, events like this one are helpful for both engaging the community and finding homes for the cats. “It’s good to bring awareness to our organization and to kind of give some exposure to the animals that are looking for their forever homes. It’s also good to bring the community together for something important,” Schaefer said. Schaefer added that spay and neuter programs are particularly important, as many rescues are often overwhelmed with animals. “Sponsoring spay and neuters is super important. Because it does help with the population. We do have a lot of animals that come into our shelter that are strays, and that is partially because animals won’t be fixed and then they end up having a lot of litters, which creates more of an overflow for us,” Schaefer said. Seven kittens were available for adoption inside Next Level Game Exchange. Schaefer added that these events typically do their job in terms of helping the furry friends find their new families. “They’re usually very successful. We usually always have at least one or two little guys that find their forever homes through these,” Schaefer said. Foster said while his business has supported the SPCA throughout the years in various other ways, an event like this one is a first for Next Level Game Exchange, and he couldn’t be happier about it. “The community helps you grow. And it’s kept us going for 20 years. And it’s a great way to give back. And cats just have kind of a special place in my heart,” Foster said. The business owner added that while his home already has three feline family members, Gary, Wendy and Alice, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of bringing home a fourth at the end of Saturday’s celebration. Foster said he feels very lucky to be able to continue running his business after two decades, crediting the success to the community that has offered its support since 2006. “I’d like to think it’s just our service and community that we built here...the relationship we get to share with our clientele is pretty special...Thank you guys so much for 20 years of supporting us,” Foster said.
