To the Journal editor:

WOW! ‘Tis the season for giving, and our community did not disappoint! As you know, UPAWS runs strictly on donations from our friends and neighbors to make our efforts possible.

Like most organizations, we have had to navigate through this pandemic and adapt to the situation with creative solutions to our traditional fundraisers. Most of our traditional fundraisers that raise revenue we depend on were cancelled this year, including our Annual Cause for Paws Gala. The Kennel Lock-Up Fundraiser proceeds will go directly towards the animals care at UPAWS/operational expenses and helped generate critically needed funds to continue fulfilling our mission.

We are so thankful for the support of our 20 celebrities who gave their time to be locked-up for UPAWS and reach out to their very own friends/family to help bail them out! We had a lot of fun, even while keeping everyone safe and we hope you had fun tuning in virtually from home! We are also thankful for the tremendous support of our community!

Together, we raised over $33,395 last night which certainly is a huge help towards lost operational funding this year! We are so grateful for your ongoing support in helping provide care for each animal at UPAWS while finding them lifelong forever homes. In hard times, when we weren’t sure how we could possibly make up for the lost revenue of this year — our community has provided us with the most wonderful gift. We know this year has been hard on everyone, and we truly appreciate your ongoing support and generosity even when times are tough.

The Home for the Holidays Kennel Lock-Up Fundraiser allowed us to bring awareness to what kennel life is like for the animals in our care and the importance of finding each animal a forever home. Highlighting the extensive behavioral and medical treatment our staff and local Veterinary Clinics provides to the animals while they are at our safe haven from kennel enrichment, exercise, behavioral training, medical needs and assessment, and going above and beyond for every animal’s individual needs. It is because of you that our staff can continue to provide the utmost care to every animal at UPAWS.

Thank you for continuing to make a huge difference in the lives of homeless animals in our community!