Holiday Party & 3 Ways to Help this Season

Holiday Party & 3 Ways to Help this Season
Posted on 12/02/2022

Come celebrate the Holiday Season with local shelter pets! Join Manatee County Animal Welfare (MCAW), Friends of Manatee County Animal Services (FoMCAS), and Best Friends Animal Society at the Best Friends Holiday Celebration on  Saturday, December 10th from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 


The event will be held at Manatee County Animal Welfare's Palmetto Adoption Center, located at 305 25th St. West, in Palmetto, and will feature local pet-product vendors and animal welfare partners, pet photos with Santa, food trucks and, of course, animals available for adoption and fostering. It will be a fun event for the whole family and a chance to add a furry friend to your family or pick up a holiday gift for your beloved pet. 


Come get holly-jolly with some amazing shelter pets. Free to attend and free parking. Pet adoption fees are waived as part of our Home for the Holidays campaign (see below). This event (along with waived fees at the Cat Town Adoption Center and Bishop Animal Shelter) is being held as part of the Best Friends National Adoption Weekend.


MCAW has launched the "Home for the Holidays" campaign to help pets find homes during the holiday season. There are 3 ways that citizens can help our shelter pets:


ADOPT: Through January 2, adoption fees are waived in lieu of a donation made to the FoMCAS. Adoptions include spay/neuter, microchip, and rabies certificate -- a value of over $300 in savings.  Manatee County residents are required to license their new pet for an additional $20. 


FOSTER: MCAW has made holiday fostering simple and easy, so you can bring a "guest" pet to your  home (for a time duration of your choice)  this holiday season. MCAW will provide all food and necessary supplies. To get started, please visit mymanatee.org/pets or fill out  the express application at http://bit.ly/petemerg.


DONATE: People are encouraged to drop off donations of new toys and treats for the homeless animals at our shelter. For a full Amazon-Smile Wish List created by FoMCAS, visit https://bit.ly/smilefomcas.


MCAW can be reached at 941-742-5933. View information on adoptable pets, location directions and hours, volunteer opportunities, and more at www.mymanatee.org/pets


 

MCAW is Manatee County’s only open-admission shelter facility, taking in an average of 9 animals per day in 2021. We now have 3 locations: Palmetto Adoption Center (pet adoptions), Cat Town Adoption Center (cat adoptions), and Bishop Animal Shelter (lost and found pets). MCAW continues to operate the Pet Pantry Program offering free food and supplies to pet owners facing financial and housing hardships. For the 2020-21 fiscal year, MCAW had a 94% save rate.


FoMCAS is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as a fundraising arm whose mission it is to work hand in hand with Manatee County Animal Welfare to enrich the lives of the shelter animals by raising funds to provide additional resources, medical care and heart worm treatment. The funds raised by FoMCAS go directly to help the shelter animals and to help with initiatives at the shelter.


The Best Friends Network is comprised of thousands of public and private shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations and other animal welfare organizations in all 50 states. Their partners support each other and inspire their own communities to increase lifesaving of dogs and cats across the country.

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