When Four Paws Food Pantry officials first began the nonprofit organization, which provides dog and cat food for low-income and needy residents, they were just hoping to complete a one-year commitment to their food distributor, the Good Samaritan Center of Loudon County.
But six years later, Four Paws is going strong and preparing to launch its sixth annual Dining for Dogs and Cats event en route to reaching a milestone achievement of raising $100,000 in dog and cat food for area pets.
Chris Britton, vice president with the organization, said Four Paws was within a few months of reaching that mark.
“So, that’s going to be kind of a banner month,” Britton said.
Linda Walter, Four Paws president, said that in the early days of the nonprofit, raising money was a challenge.
“When we started it was so slow, and it was so difficult that we were putting our own money into it just so the bank account wouldn’t close,” Walter said. “And then people started donating, and to me this mission of ours has succeeded beyond all of my expectations. I never dreamed that we would be — if somebody had said to me you’d probably raise $100,000, I would have said you’re crazy.”
Dining for Dogs and Cats, which will take place 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. May 16 at the Toqua Golf Course pavilion, will include an all-you-can-eat hot dog buffet, musical entertainment, a new silent auction and door prizes, with all proceeds going toward providing pet food for Loudon County families. The recycling dog, Max A. Pooch, will also be on hand. Cost for the hot dog lunch is $10.
Although the fundraiser last year was largely a wash, with chilly and rainy conditions, the nonprofit still managed to raise $4,600, which was up from the previous year’s amount of $3,500.
“Participation was down because of the weather,” Walter said. “It was freezing cold, and then it rained, and the pictures prove it. Everybody is wearing jackets. ... But people were very supportive, and we made over $4,000. It was our biggest year yet. People were wonderful.”
Britton said the fundraiser last year was a success despite the weather because of generous donations.
“Besides the people coming in with paid tickets, we’re fortunate that people make donations while they’re there too, which helps us a lot,” Britton said. “And this year, we’ve got the silent auction. We’re not sure how much that’s going to bring in, but it will improve our income.”
Walter said Four Paws officials came up with the idea to run a silent auction this year after consulting with other nonprofits in the area.
“We had a lot of feedback from people that have been in fundraisers with a silent auction,” Britton said. “It’s not going to be the biggest, but it’s a start for us. We have to get into it slowly and see how it goes.”
Tellico Village resident and longtime Four Paws supporter Mavis McLean said the nonprofit is instrumental in supporting pet owners and helping keep pets out of the animal shelter.
“That is such fun to do, and it raises quite a bit of money for the Four Paws pantry itself,” McLean said about the fundraiser. “... They really appreciate the food that they’re getting.”
She became involved with Four Paws because she was an “animal lover. And if you were here, you would see I am being pestered by two small Yorkies.”
“When you look at the stats of how many people we help, how many animals or how many pounds of food we hand out, we’re certainly helping the county when it comes to looking after poor people and their animals,” McLean added.
Four Paws officials are anticipating more than 300 supporters at the Dining for Dogs and Cats event. The lunch will include 12 different hot dog toppings, and participants will be able to mix and match different hot dogs types, from the Chicago dog to the Michigan coney and the popular Four Paws dog, which includes sauerkraut, swiss cheese and mustard.
“A lot of people would want parts of each (hot dog), so we’re going to have it, I guess you could call it a buffet line,” Britton said. “Now, everything is going to be there, and it’s going to be a build-your-own basically, and I think that will work because some people before didn’t want a certain topping maybe on the Michigan coney, but they wanted something else to go with it. This way they have their own” choice.
While the Four Paws fundraiser may be poised to have another successful year, Walter’s long-term goals for caring for animals and their owners extends beyond just providing pet food.
“My personal goal for us is to keep going,” Walter said. “Because I don’t see the need ever going away and to push more for — and this is pie in the sky — but I would like to be able to do more for the pets that live in these homes where people are having trouble feeding them. I would like to make sure that they’re vaccinated. I would like to make sure that they were spayed and neutered. Right now, we offer that to them, but we can’t say, ‘You must have that done.’ ... That’s something that I would love.”
In addition to the people who attend the Dining for Dogs and Cats fundraiser, beneficiaries of Four Paws’ services also do their part to help in the community, often taking in abandoned animals even if they are having a hard time making ends meet, Walter said.
“They’re being very generous in their own way, absolutely,” she said. “There’s a tremendous amount of people that we help that are like that.”
For more information on Four Paws, visit: http://www.fourpawsfoodpantry.org.
By the numbers
Four Paws provided pet food to needy Loudon County families through the Good Samaritan Center in Lenoir City. Following are the totals for April:
• Dog chow delivered — 115, 18.5-pound bags totaling 2,128 pounds at a cost of $1,089.05.
• Cat chow delivered — 90, 6.3-pound bags totaling 602 pounds at a cost of $382.50.
• Total expense for the month was $1,471.55.
Following are totals since the organization began in September 2009:
• Bags of dog chow delivered — 7,248.
• Pounds of dog chow delivered — 142,904.
• Cost for dog chow — $66,300.54.
• Bags of cat chow delivered — 5,799.
• Pounds of cat chow delivered — 39,797.
• Cost for cat chow — $29,615.35.
• Total cost of pet food — $95,915.89.
• Total pounds delivered — 182,701.
• Total bags delivered — 13,047.
For more information, call 865-408-0327 or email info@fourpawsfoodpantry.org.
