Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
www.houltonanimalshelter.com
    Last week many of you enjoyed a ‘box lunch’ (which we should officially change to ‘bag lunch’ since we now use bags instead of boxes) on St Patrick’s Day. The Humane Society has been preparing and delivering lunches all over town for many years now. This is one of our biggest fund-raising events and we really appreciate all of your support over the years. Over 50 percent of our operating budget is funded by special projects and donations, so these continuing programs are essential for our survival.
     This year we delivered more than 850 lunches from Houlton to Hodgdon and down to Oakfield.
    We would like to thank the JMG volunteer group from Hodgdon for helping with the deliveries, what a great group of kids. We would also like to thank County Yankee. Every year Dave works hard to make sure we have what we need and exactly when we need it. The Oakfield Senior Citizens baked and helped with sandwich preparation, Chester and Molly Bailey boiled and mashed 37 dozen eggs, Pete and Darlene Kenney ground the meat, organized the sweets and purchased the eggs.
    I know there were several dozen people who made the most delicious homemade sweets for us. Many dropped their donations off when I was in the kitchen. I don’t have all the names to properly thank them, so please forgive me and accept a ‘blanket’ round of applause and thank you for all the fine food.
    There were whoopee pies, brownies, cookies, squares, fudge and sweetbreads. I hope that your lunch had a nice variety.
    I want to especially thank Tim and Dorene Humphrey, Brenda Wright, Karen Stairs, Heather Miller and Holly Henderson for going door to door to drop off order forms and pick them back up again. Also to Judy Cameron and the team at Southern Aroostook School and Patty Burpee for taking care of the Oakfield orders.
    I know I am going to forget people to thank, I’m so very sorry for that, but I do have to mention Joan Logan and Betty Hutchinson who are faithful volunteers every single year and Gerald Jackins who is there bright and early and helps with everything from bringing boxes to unpacking bags. Chester and Molly Bailey don’t just cook eggs, they help deliver lunches, too.
    We had a new family come help us this year, we are always excited to meet new friends, and we hope to see them at more Humane Society functions.
    If you have never volunteered for a fund-raiser, not just the animal shelter, but also any fund-raiser, you don’t know what you’re missing. This is not just an opportunity to work hard to raise money for a cause you support, it’s also a chance to network with people who share common interests, make new friends, catch up with old friends and have a laugh or two.
    Our next big fund-raising event will be the weekend of May 2, when we will host our annual dog walk-a-thon. Stay tuned for details on location and events during the day, as we may have a yard sale, adopt-a-thon, bake sale and other activities going on that same weekend. We should have sponsorship forms ready in another couple of weeks so you can start asking your friends to sponsor your walk. In past years the walkers with the most sponsors have won some awesome prizes and there are always gifts for the pooches.
    Again, thank you for your continued support. These projects are all about the animals and raising the necessary funds to see that they are given the very best quality care. We can’t do it without you.