Hollister
– In the spirit of the holiday season, many local residents are
donating time and money to favorite charitable causes and
nonprofits.
Hollister – In the spirit of the holiday season, many local residents are donating time and money to favorite charitable causes and nonprofits.
This year the Nan Pipestem Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is asking that we not forget our furry and feathered friends, either, with its first holiday fundraising effort – a greeting card photo shoot for locals and their beloved pets.
“The center is in pretty dire straits,” said Dawn Eason, who has been involved with the center for years. “We’re hoping this will help.”
During the course of the year the center takes in, rehabilitates and releases hundreds of wild animals that are sick, injured, orphaned or otherwise unable to take care of themselves in the wild. Over the years staff and volunteers have treated raccoons, opossums, owls, mallards, skunks, foxes, rabbits, bobcats and several different raptor species. Meredith Day, the center’s Director of Animal Care, estimated she had worked with around 300 different animals in 2006 alone.
Winter is always a crucial time for the center – staff have a little time before the wave of babies come in every spring and use the opportunity to take stock of the facility, make repairs and give intensive care to injured animals, who are more likely to come in now than any other time of the year. Most of the holding pens need to be replaced after more than a decade of use and the main office, which was broken into over the spring, has yet to be repaired.
“This is when we have to make repairs, when there aren’t many animals being held,” Day said. “Trying to do that when the animals are here is just too stressful.”
The repairs cost money and require materials – two resources the center is currently lacking. According to Eason, the nonprofit only has enough money in the bank to continue operating for another three or four months, and that is assuming that no repairs are made.
“All we really need is for this fundraiser to see us through to our dinner/auction in March,” Day said. “That’s usually our biggest fundraiser of the year. But as it is, we don’t know if we can afford to even put it on.”
In order to continue providing care to their animal patients and separate themselves from the rest of the fundraisers other nonprofits mount this time of year, center staff and volunteers decided to sell personalized greeting card photos. For $20, any family can bring their pets to Veterinarian Curt Moran’s office for a professional Christmas portrait with Santa or a Hanukkah portrait.
Last weekend around 30 families turned out and the center raised roughly $700, Day said.
“It went very well,” she said. “A lot of people were probably busy with holiday shopping so we’re hoping more people will come out this weekend. If we can raise even another $700, that would be really good.”
In addition to money, the center is hoping to encourage donations of building materials and other goods that will help them with the day-to-day operation of the facility. On the wish-list is a new washer and dryer, an incubator and medical supplies, as well as plywood and various specialty foods for sick and injured animals.
“In the past any money we’ve received has gone straight to rehabilitating the animals; they’re the priority,” Day said. “If we could get a little extra to help rebuild, that would be wonderful.”
The center will be taking and selling portraits from 10am to 6pm Saturday at Moran’s office on 38 East St. for $20. For more information or to donate goods call 628-3400.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
ds****@fr***********.com
.
