COMMUNITY SUPPORT: From left— Stage store manager Linda Reed presents Pearl River County SPCA representative Maria Diamond with a check for $1,228 for the shelter. Reed said the store chooses one local non-profit for a program called “30 Days of Giving” and the employees chose the PRC SPCA to be the recipient.
Jodi Marze | Picayune Item

Linda Reed, store manager of Stage Stores in Picayune, announced the Pearl River County SPCA is the beneficiary of their Community Counts program entitled “30 Days of Giving.”

Throughout the month of March, the store offered customers an opportunity to donate to the local nonprofit. In return, the SPCA handed out coupons for the store to its visitors which generated additional donations at the SPCA.

The result of this joint effort was the presentation of a check in the amount of $1,228 from Stage customer donations and an additional $1,000 in direct donations, from the coupons, to the shelter, PRC SPCA board member Maria Diamond said.

“We never expected this kind of support, and we are so excited to receive it,” Diamond said. “This will all go to animal care and medical expenses for the animals, prior to adoption. Just the medications alone can have a detrimental impact on our budget, since operating costs are massive.”

Reed said the company is involved in the community and each store was able to choose the local nonprofit that would receive the donations collected in March.

“We have always supported the SPCA and we want to thank them for the good they do in the community and the community for responding so generously to this worthy cause,” Reed said.

Corporate wide, the company raised $896,000 which was distributed throughout 700 community organizations in the United States.