The month of December was supposed to be a huge fundraising effort for The Ark Animal Sanctuary. Once again we find ourselves at a crossroad with this pandemic.
With the number of cases in this small community on the rise daily, we have to make a tough decision. Does the Ark continue its fundraising efforts with the bake sales or do we cancel them?
After much back and forth with the volunteers and board members we have decided to air on the side of caution once again and cancel them. We were going to have a bake sale every Saturday until Christmas but now we will have to find another avenue to raise money for the animals in our care.
While we are discouraged we remain optimistic that things will change and our work will continue. For now, the Sanctuary doors will remain closed to the public. Only documented volunteers will be allowed in the building to care for the animals.
We will take every precaution necessary to keep our volunteers safe as well as you the public. We have 50 beautiful cats that need care twice a day so we cannot risk anyone getting sick because we are their caretakers.
This story sounds all too familiar because we were in the same situation in March. It was unchartered territory for us and we were very nervous. Today, as we prepare to lockdown again, we believe we are in a better position because we at least have vet care, which is a huge relief.
Our day-to-day routine will not change. The animals will still get the care they need and we will still help animals in need wherever possible. Our fundraising efforts will change and we will have to be a bit creative, but we will give it our best shot.
We want to thank you all for your patience and understanding during these difficult times. The holidays are fast approaching and we want you all to stay safe and healthy and if that means giving up a few things in our daily routine so be it. By doing this we will have many more years to look forward to.
Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column.
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is located on 101 Old Woodstock Road. To contact Lorraine Monfils call 532-7387 or check out their Facebook page.
