New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Members of CARE Southcoast Center for Animal Rescue and Education will hold a Gala Auction and Party called “Art for Animals” to help raise money for the center. The event will be held on Friday, June 29, at 6:30pm at The Wamsutta Club on 427 County St., New Bedford.
CARE, located at 596 Hathaway Rd., New Bedford, is “an all-volunteer organization dedicated to ending the needless suffering and abandonment of animals in the Massachusetts Southcoast region,” according to their flyer.
Helen Lesly, who is a volunteer at the shelter, said that they have already collected donations from a variety of artists, and all of the art will be auctioned off with all of the proceeds going to the shelter. “We really want people to come and check it out,” she said. “I have a lot of friends who are artists, and I reached out and they really came through.”
She said that there are a variety of items for bid, including artwork, jewelry, ceramics, hand painted silk scarves from Hawaii, and more. Items will range anywhere from $15 to about $1,000. Everyone who enters to be a bidder will receive a free cocktail, and it is free to bid.
CARE offers a variety of services to animals in need. They work to provide assistance to families who can’t afford to spay or neuter their pets, as well as providing sheltering and re-homing assistance to homeless animals and animals formerly in high-kill shelters around the country. CARE is a no-kill shelter, meaning that no animals that stay there are put down.
CARE also aims to educate people on the many factors that contribute to animal overpopulation, abuse, and neglect. Currently, they have over 60 dogs and over 100 cats at the shelter, and they are always looking for homes or foster homes for the animals. There are also 35 kittens in foster care right now, and four new litters that they don’t have a plan for, as of now.
They also take in animals for people who are become homeless or who are temporarily displaced from their homes. “We try to be a resource to the community,” said Lesly. She also added that they have a Veterinarian who comes in once a week, and they also work with a variety of Veterinarians in the area.
Because they are non-profit, they are constantly in search of donations and volunteers. “We’re growing as a shelter, and it creates a lot more work, which is why we need help,” said Lesly. Hopefully for them, they raise a lot of money at this event.
For more information on the event, including donation information, contact cricket13@comcast.net, or call 508-728-0351. Information on the shelter can be found at www.caresouthcoast.com, and they can be reached at info@caresouthcoast.com or 508-994-0220.
