QUILCENE — On Saturday, Sara Penhallegon is holding a holiday open house at her ranch near Quilcene — and hoping to receive donations for her newest endeavor, a pet food bank.
At the open house at Central Valley Animal Rescue, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., guests can tour the property, visit with Santa, see the totem tree and decorations, and talk to the animals — the chickens, geese, goats, rabbits, horses and sheep that have found a home on the rural acreage, a shelter for unwanted farm and domestic animals.
And while there’s no charge, Penhallegon hopes that guests will not arrive empty-handed.
Penhallegon is not hoping for gifts for herself or the residents, but contributions for animals in need.
Her pet food bank will benefit people who can’t afford food for their animals — canine, feline, avian or equine — so that they don’t end up on her doorstep.
“Our goal is to keep animals with loving families,” Penhallegon said. “We don’t want people to feel they need to give away their pet because they are going through a tough time.”
Penhallegon said that the number of calls from people who can no longer afford to care for pets has increased during the past year.
She now is at capacity at the ranch at 11900 Center Valley Road near Quilcene, and has a waiting list for spaces for cats and other animals.
Calls have come from as far away as the East Coast, she said.
“A woman was in tears because she had been calling shelters for days, but always heard the same answer — they are full and cannot take any more animals,” Penhallegon said.
To help keep pets in homes, Penhallegon is setting aside shelf space in the center’s main building for the pet food bank.
Along with unopened bags and cans of pet food, the bank will accept gift certificates for animal food from local stores and gift certificates for local vets for medical care, spay and neuter surgery, and vaccinations, Penhallegon said.
Donations can be brought to the open house or dropped off at the ranch on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pet and farm animal owners also can pick up food at that time, Penhallegon said.
“For donated hay, we will keep a list of donor names, contact information and amount available for needy farm animals,” she said.
Adoptions
Penhallegon also hopes that the open house will inspire people to adopt a pet.
In conjunction with the open house, the ranch is offering free adoptions with preapproval for applications filed by noon Friday. Applications are available on-line at centervalleyanimalrescue.org.
“As we adopt animals out, we can make room for the animals on the waiting list,” Penhallegon said.
In addition to the Friday hours, donations and pickup can also be made at other times by prior arrangement by calling the ranch at 360-765-0598.
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Port Townsend/Jefferson County reporter-columnist Jennifer Jackson can be reached at jjackson@olypen.com.