14th Annual “Toast for Tails” gala event moves online this week

Shopping yet? Need some wine for your socially distanced Thanksgiving dinner? Want to save feral cats?

If you can say yes to any of the above, you might want to click over to Concern for Animals' 2020 Toast for Tails event, part of which is happening right now.

For the past 13 years tickets for this event have been hard to get; the room could hold only so many people. This year it’s all online. No live auction, no Pellegrino’s catered dinner, no crazy dash for gooey desserts. The live auction starts at 6:00 pm this Saturday. This is the link to register for it.

New from CfA this year is a commemorative t-shirt or sweatshirt; they’re available only until this Saturday, November 14. One design, six apparel choices, many colors. Here’s the link.

The silent auction is live now, too.  More than 279 items are up for auction.  You don’t have to risk touching any germy pens; just register and scroll. Some items are up for competitive bidding, others are yours after you click “BUY IT NOW.” 

Toast for Tails is Concern for Animals’ major fundraiser of the year, according to Cella Hyde, Outreach & Development Coordinator for the mostly volunteer-run organization. “We had to cancel a couple of smaller fundraisers due to Covid,” she added.  The goal is to raise $50,000 through the silent and live auctions.

Where does the money go?  The auction funds cover administrative costs, which facilitate delivery of various services.  In 2019 the organization rehabilitated and adopted out 64 feral and stray cats.  They paid for 488 spay/neuter procedures for families unable to cover these costs, as well as 584 other veterinary procedures and 23 grooming sessions.

Their Pet Food Bank distributed 25,000 lbs of dry food for dogs and cats last year.  This year they’ve expanded thee pet food bank to include people who have lost jobs or wages due to Covid-19.