Maple Ridge auto shop organizes virtual bingo to raise funds for SPCA

A local business is looking to help out some unfortunate animals, while bringing a taste of the tropics to Maple Ridge residents.

B&F Automotive will host a virtual bingo game on Saturday, March 27, complete with island vibes, with all proceeds going towards the Maple Ridge chapter of the SPCA.

Sherwin Belgrave, who is from Barbados, will be playing mood-setting music.

He and his wife, Valorie Crooks are the third owners of B&F Automotive in it’s 35-year history.

Crooks said the pair used to attend musical bingo before the pandemic, so decided they would draw on their business network to get some prizes for a fundraiser.

“As a business, it’s great to have social commitment to the community,” she said.

READ MORE: Business hosts New Year’s Eve fundraiser for SPCA

This will be the second fundraiser for the pair. The first, held on New Years Eve, raised more than $4,500 for the SPCA.

Crooks said she and Belgrave are cat-owning animal lovers, so the choice for where to donate was simple.

“I think the work they do is really important in terms of assisting the community as a whole,” she said.

“Throughout this pandemic, there’s been so much of a focus on housing and people losing housing, and as a result of that there have been people who have had to take their pets to the SPCA for them to be re-homed, so as a result of that, they have been quite busy.”

The evening should be fun, Crooks insisted.

“It’s an opportunity for people to spend one night living the indulgence and music they would if they were travelling for spring break,” she said.

For details on the event, check the Facebook event page.