Dry January

The hustle & bustle of the holidays has ended, and we are settling into a not-too-bad-so-far winter. On a personal level, I thought I’d give “Dry January” a try.  But I only made it as far as January 7 where pre-show brunch mimosas were calling my name. But that got me thinking about another type of “Dry January.”

In the animal shelter/rescue world, year-end can be a very busy time, as it is a time where people are much more inclined to make their charitable donations.  We count on that lift of generosity to help us meet our annual budget. And then the cold winter months come, the donations slow down and it is a dry January indeed. 

January 17, 2022 would have been actress and animal activist Betty White’s 100th birthday. To honor that day animal lovers from all over made donations to animal rescues and related organizations. The VAO was amazed and ever so grateful for the outpouring of donations.  #BettyWhiteChallenge got the VAO through its “Dry January” of 2022. But here we are in January 2023, and there is no social media movement afoot to replicate last year’s challenge.

What if January 17 were to become a national day to recognize and show your support for animal related causes? Yes, people are very generous with donations at year end, but that generosity is spread across so many different and very worthy, charitable causes.

What if on January 17 everyone who loves animals was to make some form of donation to their local animal shelter? That gift will surely help the shelter get through the cold & quiet winter months.

What if every one of the VAO’s 110,000 Facebook followers was to make a $5 donation to help our homeless cats & dogs? What if 20% of our followers made a $10 donation? That impact would be a game changer for our little shelter that could!

I know times are tough right now.  The price of everything continues to soar, so I get why you might think to yourself, “I’ll pass on making that January donation, someone else will do it.” But what if everyone thought that way?  

I am not an economist, but I do know that no matter what is happening with inflation, helpless and homeless animals still need to be cared for. That is why everyone at the VAO is here. We believe in our mission to save the lives of as many cats and dogs as possible. But what if we couldn’t afford to do that? What would happen then?

Today, January 17, is what would have been Betty White’s 101st Birthday. What if you made a donation to the VAO in her honor?  What if you gave $10 just because you want to help us get through the dry months?