I love to hear about creative undertakings that animal lovers have put together to raise awareness and funds for our furry friends. So I was very pleased to find out about two upcoming events.
First is the Animal Art Adoptathon benefit for the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, happening this weekend at the Englert Theatre and Chait Galleries in Iowa City. According to Press-Citizen.com, “More than 90 local artists of all ages have donated 130 pieces of art to the event depicting animals, animal center issues, animal welfare promotion or the human-pet bond.” The article goes on to say that one of the missions of the foundation is to foster humane education. This is no small event, either. In the past two years, the organization has raised more than $10,000 in donations. The Animal Art Adoptathon opens this evening, Friday, June 3, from 5-8. More info about the event (as well as a sampling of the art) can be found here.
“Forever Home” by Laurie Haag, one of the pieces at the 2011 Animal Art Adoptathon Benefit
The second artistic event to benefit animals that caught my eye is actually, lucky for me, a monthly occurrence here in New York City. “De-Flea Market for Animal Rescue” is a monthly arts and crafts market that raises money for a different (dog and cat) animal charity each month. (If you’re interested in getting your animal charity involved, email Lynne at lynnevon[at]msn.com.) The charities are able to vend free of charge, and aside from the money raised from the sales of the crafts, even more funds are raised via the raffle. The June event, which is coming up on June 12 in NYC’s East Village, will benefit Kitty Kind, a non-profit cat rescue and adoption organization. Since I personally can Never Have Too Many Crafts on hand, you will likely find me there, stocking up on presents for my friends (and, okay, for myself too).
Not to go too off-course from the point of this blog entry, which is to support and/or organize creative events like these that raise much-needed awareness and money for dogs and cats via artistic means, I simply have to say…. Though neither event specifies, I’m sure hoping that the food offered at both events is exclusively vegan. I’ve certainly shown my support at dog and cat charity events, only to find that farmed animals were on the menu — a sad irony that never feels good (especially for the dead animal).
After writing that paragraph, I decided to google around and see if there was, in fact, a vegan dog and/or cat charity out there, and happily happened upon California’s St. Martin’s Animal Foundation, whose website proudly states: “Finally, we would like for all of our supporters to know that S.M.A.F. stands up for all animals by promoting a vegan lifestyle. We believe that all animals, have the God given right to live out their lives in peace and harmony. Throughout the year, we make every effort to spread this message of compassion and peace at our various fundraisers and adoption events.”