With five days left, Okanagan Humane Society (OHS) is hoping it can beat last year鈥檚 goal and raise $60,000 in the Raffle to Rescue Animals.
So far 494 donors have contributed to the $56,405 raised so far.
Last year OHS raised $20,000 in raffle tickets and a little more than $5,000 in donations which was a record year for the campaign, with tickets selling out two days prior to the final draw date.
In 2023, the society helped save more than 2,500 animals with its rescue and pet assistance programs. So far in 2024, the need for that program has doubled, and the pet assistance program need has tripled, according to Romany Runnalls, president and board of directors for the Okanagan Humane Society.
Since the start of this year, the organization has seen the need increase with rescue numbers doubling and pet assistance numbers tripling. This led to OHS setting the bar higher for the 2024 raffle, by partnering with three donors to match all donations up to $20,000.
According to OHS, the average cost of care for a medical emergency is $2,500, the average cost to care for a dog is $500 and the average cost for a cat is $250.
鈥淲e have just a few days left to raise the final $4,095 to hit this goal, which would be an incredible milestone for our organization,鈥� said Runnalls.
The Okanagan Humane Society is fundraising to take care of animals in need. @grizzliwinery held a fundraising event for the pet rescue organization on April 13. 鉂わ笍
After the raffle finishes on April 18, the charity will be having two other events to support animals across the Okanagan.
The first is Propane for Pets. This event will be held at the Petro Pass Truck Stop in Vernon on April 27, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Superior Propane will be on site to fill propane tanks for a $10 donation with all proceeds going to OHS.
鈥淲e are actively working on a case of 23 puppies from two different females, one with a litter of 11 and the other a litter of 12, both dogs are from a home in Vernon,鈥� said Runnalls.
During the event 22 of those puppies will be available to meet potential adopters at this event. OHS is assisting to ensure that the mom dogs are spayed and all the puppies are fully vet-checked.
Then on May 10, Scotiabank is hosting 鈥淔etching Funds鈥� and will be collecting donations on behalf of the Okanagan Humane Society at eight of its locations throughout the Okanagan Valley, and will match all donations up to $15,000. OHS will be on-site at all locations from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. with animals to meet and greet donors and continue to collect donations.
Check out these Scotiabank locations on May 8:
鈥akeshore 琉璃神社 - 3275 Lakeshore Rd, 琉璃神社
鈥rchard Place 琉璃神社 - 1835 Dilworth Drive Suite #101, 琉璃神社
鈥ain branch 琉璃神社 - 488 Bernard Ave, 琉璃神社
鈥utland 琉璃神社 - 190 Highway 33 West, 琉璃神社
鈥est 琉璃神社 branch - 2475 Dobbin Road #29, West 琉璃神社
鈥illage Green Vernon - 4790 27th Street, Vernon
鈥ernon Main - 3213 30th Avenue, Vernon
鈥almon Arm - 391 Hudson Avenue, Salmon Arm
READ MORE: 鈥楽mall hands, big hearts鈥�: 琉璃神社 students help disabled Ukrainian boy
