Stray Hearts Benefit Concert Gives Pets a Chance

July 27, 2010

Animal Center cares for lost and abandoned pets until they can be reunited with their owners or find new, loving homes. They are our Humane Society, and they are making great strides in expanding their ability to provide for the animals in their care. In the past three years, Stray Hearts has built indoor kennels and a state-of-the-art spay/neuter surgical suite, begun a spay/neuter assistance program, introduced a new website and marketing program, improved management, started fundraising through grant writing, completed major renovations and repair of the existing building, fenced the entire property, installed a dog grooming station, bought a heavy duty industrial washer/dryer, and opened up an art gallery of donated works to raise funds to cover operational costs. These projects have been funded through generous donations from the community that were earmarked for that work. However, the operating expenses of the center are in excess of $38,000 per month, with funding coming in from the Town of Taos and Taos County in the amount of $16,700 per month, which results in a shortfall of $21,300 per month! This, with donated vet care!

Mary Domito, of TOTO Home and the Sleep Sanctuary, is passionate about bettering our community, volunteering for the benefit of Taos’ arts and culture institutions as well as Taos’ animal caregivers. She knows it is critical for the community to come together if Stray Hearts is to cover their monthly operating expenses. That’s why she has teamed with the OBL and local bands to produce a benefit concert to be put on Friday, August 6, to support the day-to-day work of Stray Hearts. Admission is $10 and all proceeds will benefit the shelter. A cash bar and ample food offerings round out a bill where local bands Bone Orchard with Chipper Thompson and newcomer Kate Mann are sure to deliver great music.

This is the first of what may well become an annual benefit concert. As Domito notes, “Stray Hearts is doing great work, and they are getting better at what they do every day, but with operating expenses like these, they need all of our help. They need the community to get behind them. We need to educate people about just what it takes to protect and care for these animals. It is a lot of work and it costs money. It is important work. And it is worth supporting. I just want to do my part, to help them have an even better shelter.�

Raffle tickets are being sold at TOTO home and Sleep Sanctuary, to win a $2,400 luxury mattress on the day of the show. Giveaways will occur throughout the concert. Look for posters around town, and more musical talent may be added as the show evolves and the community rallies behind this important cause.

Your tax-deductible donations will allow The Humane Society of Taos, Inc. dba: Stray Hearts Animal Center, a 501c3 non-profit organization, to continue their mission, to “provide interim compassionate and humane care and rehabilitation for lost and abandoned animals, protect animals from abuse and neglect and exploitation, and place them into responsible and loving homes.�

Rachel Preston is an architectural designer and historian, freelance writer, and your guide to all that’s good in New Mexico. She can be reached through her website at www. archinia.com.