Madeira Friends donates pet supplies to shelters for Christmas 2024
Community-driven holiday campaign supports rescued animals across Funchal — Year 2024
In December 2024, Madeira Friends launched a campaign to support the island’s rescued animals — and thanks to our incredible community, it was a success.
With the help of our partners and local collection points, we organized a pet-focused donation drive across Madeira, gathering food, toys, beds, leashes, blankets, and other essentials for animals in shelters. These furry friends — many abandoned, all deserving of love — received an extra dose of care during the holiday season.
Community Spirit in Full Force
Throughout December, donations poured in from across the community. Together, we collected a wide range of items that brought joy, comfort, and relief to the shelters working tirelessly year-round.
To make giving easy and accessible, we placed donation boxes at several venues, where people could drop off pet food, toys, and other essentials. These boxes were hosted by our amazing partners — Pestana CR7, Prediclub, Sangha Cowork, John dos Passos Cowork, Fisioclinic, MadPets, and Agriloja — who generously opened their spaces to support the initiative. Without their help, none of this would have been possible.
We also hosted our 4th annual No_Mad Alone event on December 25th at Pestana CR7, offering a space for anyone spending Christmas away from family to come together and connect. It was a beautiful gathering and many attendees brought pet donations with them as part of the celebration.
After the final collection, we delivered the items to three incredible local animal organizations:
🐶 Vasco Gil (Funchal City Council Kennel) 🐾 SPAD (Madeira’s animal protection society) 🐕 Ajuda a Alimentar Cães
The staff and volunteers at each shelter were genuinely grateful. Many shared that these donations would go a long way in supporting both the animals and their teams during a particularly busy time of year.