Pet Talk

    For years it’s been a given. Come March, everybody bakes their hearts out. Several teams of volunteers go door to door to every business from Houlton to Island Falls. A dedicated group of volunteers meet the day before to slice 2,400 rolls, mix up 35 dozen eggs, fill and organize 2,400 sandwiches, 2,400 sweets, get them bagged up and delivered. I remember back in the 1970s the Rebeccas did this and we all looked forward to it every year. For the last 10 or 15 years Houlton Humane Society has taken on this project and it has been our most successful and rewarding fundraiser.
    This year, however, we are taking a break. During the course of any given year, there are a dozen or more fundraisers that the shelter puts on to raise the thousands of dollars it takes to care for the animals, and each of us on the board just automatically takes responsibility for one of these projects. Cara and Jonathan were in charge of the concert, Heather handles all the adopt-a-thons and yard sales and events at the shelter, and the box lunch was my baby. Due to health challenges, I have asked for a year off and the board has graciously granted this request.
    I should have gotten the word out to you earlier, because you may be one of the countless dedicated volunteers who bake, but if you have baked for us, please let us know because we will be holding a bake sale very soon and if you could freeze your items, we would still like to have them. You can call Heather at the shelter at 532-2862, or email me at houltonanimalshelter@gmail.com, so we can notify you of the bake sale date.
    To all of the volunteers and businesses who have participated in the past years, thank you so very much. We will likely do this project again next year, or something similar, so stay tuned.
    In the meantime, there are many exciting events coming up to help support the shelter. Tonight, March 14, is “Dine Out for the Animals” at the Horn of Plenty Restaurant. Reservations are required and a portion of the proceeds from this evening will go to the shelter. Thank you so much to the owner and staff for their support of this event.
    In April there will be a dance at the American Legion on Bangor Street. I’ll get back to you next week with the exact date, but this should be a fun night with Jon Miller as DJ, various snacks and raffles available during the evening, and cash bar offered by the Legion. Admission of $6 per person from 8 p.m. to midnight.  
    Another way to support the shelter is to order your spring seeds on-line from Renee’s Garden. When you check out just use promo code FR726B and 25 percent of your order will be donated to the animal shelter. If you are going to start plants indoors, this week is the week to place your order.
    If you shop online, as I do (I just love Amazon.com for things I can’t find locally), then go to website www.adoptashelter.com and where it asks for the shelter you support type in Houlton Humane Society. Then click on the shelter when it pops up and click on “shop now” and a portion of your purchase through hundreds of retailers will be donated to the Shelter. Not just Amazon but Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, all kinds of stores.
    As I mentioned, we will be hosting a bake sale shortly and we are already in our beginning stages of planning for our spring walk-a-thon, May 12 as the tentative date, and hopefully starting right at River Front Park and up through town. More details will be coming as we clear the date and location to make sure we are not interfering with any other organization’s events.
    We have also had some discussion about an auto-cross event this summer, and we are actively seeking a parking lot, airport runway, or some other area large enough to hold this event. If you can think of any place in the general area, let me know. It needs to not only be big, but smooth and without potholes if possible.
    The shelter needs to raise about $20,000 just to keep going; that covers the shortfall between income from adoptions, town support, donations, etc, so if you have any ideas for fundraisers please let us know. Perhaps your group or organization would like to host a bottle drive, a “jean day” at work, or even just put up a collection can at your store or office. You would be amazed how much every little bit helps. This is an economy where no one person can give $20,000 or maybe even $20, but we can each drop our bottles off at Florence Avenue redemption and designate the proceeds for the Houlton Humane Society without it affecting our overall ability to survive. We can each save our used shampoo bottles and drop them off at Walmart in the electronics section, because the shelter gets money for your trash. We can each save our used ink cartridges for the shelter. These are all eco-friendly ways to support a good cause without costing a dime.
    The animals depend on us, on you, on the team effort we put forth to protect each and every one of them, and we thank you for all your help.   
    Cathy Davis is a longtime volunteer for the Houlton Humane Society. She can be reached at houltonanimalshelter@gmail.com or 532-2345.