You might be wondering, why are we making such a big deal with all of this Woe is Woofstock stuff? This is the first time in twenty-four years that we will not have a Woofstock Festival. It was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. We know that, in the interest of public health and safety, we made the right call. But we are sure missing it right now.
Yes, Woofstock is the largest annual fundraiser for the VAO. We depend on it to keep our daily operations running. The Voorhees Animal Orphanage (VAO) is a small municipal animal shelter that serves 26 towns in southern NJ. The only “income” that we receive are the monthly fees that come from the towns that we serve. But that goes towards the health and care of the animals. We do receive adoption fees, but that fluctuates based on the number of animals that we have. Otherwise, we rely heavily on the generosity of our supporters, and Woofstock was the cornerstone component of our annual fundraising efforts.
Make no mistake, the funding is crucial. But Woofstock means so much more. Woofstock is a day that that brings together thousands of like-minded, animal loving people. It is a place to spend the day to not only eat and shop well, but to meet old and new friends as well. It is a place where your four-legged friends are welcomed with open arms. It is a time for our volunteers and their friends and families to work together, and amazingly orchestrate the controlled chaos with seamless expertise. It is a place where we are able to see hundreds of former VAO orphans and their families, as we shed happy tears over the wonderful lives they are leading. Woofstock represents the rescue world at its best, as we bring dozens of animal rescues and shelters together with the common goal of finding forever homes for their current residents.
Woofstock is “Community”, and after 6+ months of varying degrees of social distancing, quarantining, isolating and “new normals”, that community feeling is sorely missed.
But the show must go on.
We have rallied as much as possible to create some fun alternative & virtual fundraising. We might be calling this the “Week of Woe is Woofstock”, but we are shaking off the sadness and getting things do
ne! After all, the homeless cats and dogs of the VAO, present and future, are counting on us!
Our friends at Tab Shredding are hosting an “ALL YOU CAN SHRED” event this Saturday, 9/26. For $40 they will shred all of the paper that you can bring! They will even safely destroy hard-drives and electronic devices for an additional $5/device. This event will take place from 9:00 – Noon at their facility on 341 Cooper Rd in West Berlin (just down the road from the shelter).
We are selling 50/50 tickets up until 3:59 pm this Saturday, 9/26. Stop by the shelter during business hours, or email us at woofstock@vaonj.org to reserve your tickets.
New this year we have an On-Line Auction for Woofstock. We have over 75 items to bid on! Check out the site via this link: to http://bit.ly/VAOOnlineAuction . Make sure to check it often because we are adding new items daily! The auction will close at 4:00 pm, Saturday 9/26.
We also have a Virtual Walk for Woofstock. All you have to do is register here: https://www.vaonj.org/virtual-walk/ Walk wherever and whenever you want, and help the VAO while you are at it! Since we can’t see everyone in person at Woofstock, we are creating a “Walk of Fame” picture gallery and hope that you will walk and send your pictures to us to share. It’s beautiful outside, so let’s go take a walk!!
Lastly, we’d like to send a special thanks out to all of the Sponsors and Special Friends of the VAO. We know that times are tough all over, but these folks have really stepped up to help the VAO and our Virtual Woofstock efforts. Please check them out and support them. A friend of the VAO is a true friend indeed!
The old adage of turning lemons into lemonade couldn’t hold truer. While we will miss seeing all of you next weekend, we know that we are all together in spirit. We hope that you can help the VAO in some small way this week. Perhaps you could even donate your $2 admission fee. Every penny counts when you are saving lives.
THANK YOU to everyone for all of the support and love that you have shown the VAO during these very challenging times.
Until we can all be together, please stay safe and healthy.
