Salt Rock woman swaps mini collectibles for dog food to support local shelters
Animal shelter donations
Antoinette Barkhuizen's with her dog, Babes.
Image: Supplied
TURNING a retail craze into a heartwarming act of kindness, Salt Rock resident Antoinette Barkhuizen has found a creative way to give back, by exchanging Checkers Little Shop mini collectibles for dog food to help local animal shelters.
Barkhuizen, an administration assistant, said the idea came to her after she realised she had accumulated a large number of the popular Checkers Mini Stickies through her regular grocery orders.
“I end up collecting so many minis that hold no value to me. People used to arrive at my home and go crazy seeing how many I had stuck on my fridge. My friends suggested I give them away since it was such a craze, so I put up messages on our community chats and only a few wanted them. That is when I had the idea to exchange them for dog food, so I put the message up on social media and received a lot of attention.”
Barkhuizen’s plan is - one Checkers mini for one can or bag of dog food. The donations will go to one or more local animal shelters.
“I am still deciding on which organisation I can give the food to. I will feel bad if I can only give one, so I am going to try to collect as much food as I can so I can give to more than one animal organisation.”
Her love for animals, particularly dogs, inspired the initiative.
“I love dogs. I have my own dog, Babes, who is privileged enough to have food but there are dogs out there in shelters who do not have enough. I just want to help the shelters.”
Antoinette Barkhuizen's dog, Babes, with the Checkers Little Shop mini collectibles and the dog food she received.
Image: Supplied
The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.
“A lot of people came through, bringing food and picking the mini they wanted. I have roped my husband into helping. I send the minis to work with him and people do the exchanges at his workplace. Some people gave money to buy the dog food because they had no time.”
Since starting the initiative, Barkhuizen has already exchanged 30 mini collectibles for dog food, with 20 more donated by others to help her continue the project.
“I now have 35 minis left to give away. I do not have any children, so the minis are wasted in my care. I would rather give them to people who love them and help dogs in the process.”
With the festive season approaching, a time when animal shelters often struggle with supplies, Barkhuizen hopes her small act will make a meaningful difference.
“Shelters always need help with food, especially with the festive season coming up. I will continue this venture until I have no mini’s left to exchange,” said Barkhuizen.