An ode to Peyton

An ode to Peyton

Opened in January 2020,

The Page & Whisker

is a unique book shop that is home to homeless and adoptable cats. Staff at this lovely establishment are dedicated to improving literacy and animal welfare in southern Alberta. By providing a space for these cats to live and get adopted, they are decreasing the number of homeless cats in Medicine Hat and to date, they’ve helped more than 70 cats find their forever homes. Unfortunately, the shop has faced countless hurdles since their recent opening with one being a fire on May 31st. The motor in the building’s A/C unit overheated, resulting in the unit nearly burning down. This unfortunate event is in addition to a flooded basement, pest problems from nearby empty units and issues with the safety of the building’s exterior. Because of these terrible roadblocks, The Page & Whisker is on the hunt for a new home and we’d like to shine a light on a passionate eight-year-old Medicine Hat girl who has stepped up to help in some unreal ways.

Little Peyton raised more than $1,400 to help keep Page & Whisker afloat

after their fire. How did she raise so much money? Through a freezie stand –make a donation, get a freezie! And she successfully sold more than 800 freezies for the cause. According to Facebook, after the fundraiser, Peyton presented a cheque to The Page & Whisker and she did this because the shop has a special place in her heart. This is because they help cats find their homes, as well as they support and believe in children and adult literacy. Peyton loves the store so much that she visits it once a week and she’s even donated her allowance and treats to help the cats that live there.

The community of Medicine Hat has come together in many ways to support The Page & Whisker and Peyton is just one great example of how we support each other. In addition to this, a GoFundMe Campaign has also raised $5,000 for the shop to help them with three goals: getting legal help to get the store out of it’s lease, ensuring the staff members don’t lose their jobs by expanding online operations and helping find The Page & Whiskers a new place to call home.

Through supporting the store, the owners will be able to find a suitable new home and won’t have to always focus on the constant need for repairs, dealing with pests, ect. There will be more time for fundraising such as book sales to help the kittens and cats in their care. And a better place for the store means more adoptions. Once a suitable home is chosen, staff will be able to house more cats and increase adoption rates. Another positive that staff are hoping for is increased literacy classes – specifically for adults, teens and children at night. We hope by sharing Peyton’s incredible fundraising story you might be inspired to do something similar and help this amazing store get through these tough times and continue to serve the community.