Wildlife rescue efforts take skill, volunteers, and cold hard cash, and this year, Solvang-based rescue workers are seeing a record-breaking number of animals that need help.
The Animal Rescue Team Inc. will hold its sixth annual fundraiser on Oct. 3 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Santa Ynez Historical Society in Solvang. The nonprofit organization rescues and rehabilitates injured, sick, and orphaned wildlife. It’s one of 90 organizations in California licensed to rehab all native wildlife.
Event-goers will get the chance to enjoy a tri-tip, chicken, or vegetarian dinner catered by Me and Lou’s Barbecue and Catering, wines donated by Koehler Winery, and entertainment by the John Corbett Band, and the opportunity to bid on silent auction items such as dinners, cases of wine, and local adventures. Fundraiser tickets cost $100 and can be purchased online or by phone.
“We’ve rescued and rehabilitated more wildlife so far this year than any other year, and the drought is only increasing our operational costs,” said Julia di Sieno, the nonprofit’s executive director, in a press release. “We need to expand our rescue facility and hire additional staff to treat 400 animals next year.”
She said the organization typically rehabs 200 animals a year, but so far in 2014, Animal Rescue has already rehabbed 300 animals. She added that the nonprofit needs to raise $50,000 at the upcoming dinner event.
To purchase tickets by phone, call 896-1859. To find them online, visit animalrescueteam.net.
Staff writer Camillia Lanham compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send comments or ideas to the Sun via email at clanham@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 2, 2014.