HOULTON, Maine — I would like to thank everyone who came out and bought a pie to help towards Lucky’s vet bills.
With your help we raised $560 towards his medical bills which will help tremendously. We sold 30 pies which is amazing. What is just as amazing are the people who pulled together to make these wonderful pies. Hats off to our bakers Cheryl Grant, Karen Stairs, Diane Bates and Jeanette Kilpatrick. These ladies are amazing not only do they make great pies but they cook for our regular bake sales as well.
Our bake sales are our bread and butter. They are how we are able to do what we do. We also have our regulars that stop by every bake sale and support us. We appreciate everyone’s support very much Without your support our work would not be possible. Thank you all for believing in our mission.
We recently had our state inspection and we passed with flying colors — something we are all very proud of. While some question our adoption policy on kittens, we are following the guidelines set forth by the state. Is there margin for error? Absolutely, there is margin for error in just about everything anyone does. No one is perfect.
Our work at the trailer park continues and I believe we have made a good dent in the the stray cat problem. Since last year we have taken in about 20 cats from that one area. Out of the 20, two were diagnosed with leukemia which is fatal for cats. So we encourage everyone to keep their cats inside so they do not contract this disease. There is also a family of fox living out behind the sanctuary, which is another reason to keep your cats inside. We will continue our work in this area until there are no more unwanted litters or stray cats
Please keep in mind that these 20 cats were all neutered and spayed, vaccinated and tested by The Ark. The average cost per cat is around $200. I know you have all heard me say this before but I am going to say it again , we receive no town or state monies to help with this. Our money comes from fundraising, donations and grants. This is our contribution to the town and the animals in need. We ask for nothing in return, we are here to help the animals. We believe in this community and we believe in making a difference for as many animals as we can.
The Ark is currently home to 50 cats. Out of that 50, about 20 are special needs which means they require ongoing medical treatment. Any cat that enters our facility gets what it needs to live a happy healthy life and for many that means surgery, for others that means their permanent residence will be The Ark. This year alone we have helped over 75 cats and we are very proud of that. Our volunteers work hard, their reward at the end of the day is knowing they are making a difference. They fall in love with each and every cat and treat them as if they were their own.
Our building is completely paid for and is valued at $275,000. The 40 acres the building sets on was purchased for $40,000 and we currently owe a little over $11,000. Not bad for a small organization that has been around for about 10 years. It just goes to show that if you believe in something and are not afraid of a little hard work everything is possible.
We will continue to set goals and move forward in a positive direction and we hope you will continue to support us. Thank you to everyone you have made the impossible possible. and for that we are forever grateful.
We are currently working on our volunteer situation so we can be open more hours during the week. While we know it is frustrating that we are not open more, we ask that you bear with us while we build our volunteer staff. If you would like to become a volunteer please call Lorraine at The Hollywood Pet Salon at 532-7387 for more information.
Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column.
To contact the Ark, call 532-7387, check out their Facebook page or visit http://www.arksanctuary.com/
