Mark Hufford isn’t being crass or cynical when he acknowledges that the upcoming PAWS benefit auction is about money.
Just as he isn’t being saccharine when he states that it’s about something more.
“Beyond the income, it’s a wonderful camaraderie among animal lovers,” he said.
Last fall’s “Barkitecture” auction occurred just weeks after Hufford signed on as executive director of PAWS of Bainbridge Island.
Through the bond he observed among attendees, the former political organizer recognized both the solid base of support PAWS had, and the great potential that lay ahead.
Former director Judy Hartstone, who moved back East last year, left a great foundation to build from, Hufford said, including thriving programs, strong community support and high levels of competence among staff and board members.
Thus, despite a flagging economy, the healthy organization was in an excellent position to expand and evolve.
To start with, the PAWS board grew from 4 to 10 people to form a solid “working board,” as Hufford terms it, largely comprising people who were already involved in animal-related work.
A name change ensued; the organization became PAWS of Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap, to encompass its existing and growing reach to the north.
The group then did a round of strategic planning and “blue-sky” thinking about the needs of the animals and animal owners it served.
Existing programs included a spay-neuter program; a pet lost and found registry; feral cat control; a cat adoption program; and a busy phone line to serve community members with all manner of animal-related questions.
The owner component struck Hufford as particularly ripe for growth.
“What it boiled down to was that we were already doing a lot with animals, but there was really room in the social services arena with regard to people with animals,” Hufford said.
To begin with, PAWS implemented a pet food program. The organization takes donations, holds monthly gatherings to divvy up food into individual bags – gallon-sized for dogs, quart-sized for cats – and distributes the food to area food banks: Helpline House on Bainbridge, North Kitsap Fishline in Poulsbo, ShareNet in Kingston and the Central Kitsap Food Bank in Silverdale. They’re now well into their second ton of food.
“We deliver to them monthly, and it’s always gone before we get to them again,” Hufford said.
A burgeoning relationship with food banks led to a natural discussion with them about reaching out to people who might need additional pet-related services, specifically those who might benefit from the PAWS veterinary assistance program for low-income families.
Dovetailing with the pet food program, the veterinary assistance program gets at the heart of the PAWS cause, which is pet retention.
In coordination with the four food banks as well as seven veterinary clinics, PAWS will provide up to $125 per year, per pet, for up to two pets of qualifying residents.
It’s one of only two such programs in Western Washington, Hufford said, and it’s well used in the area; so far this year, PAWS has assisted 250 and expects to help over 400 by year’s end.
“We’re seeing people utilizing this program who we wouldn’t have expected. That includes military with folks deployed overseas; it includes a lot of small business owners who normally wouldn’t have asked us for anything, but they haven’t had a sale in three months, and their budgets are stretched,” Hufford said.
Some of the stories are heartbreaking, he added, such as the military family whose dog developed an ear infection while the father was overseas. Without assistance, the family wouldn’t have been able to treat the dog and would have had to put it to sleep.
In order to serve the number of veterinary assistance requests it anticipates next year, PAWS needs to raise $50,000; that’s where the auction comes in, with all proceeds benefiting that particular program.
Donations to be auctioned include an Orcas Island getaway; a commissioned pet portrait, eggs for a year; a week-long getaway for 12 to Mexico; massages, artwork, jewelry, and other engaging goodies.
The community response to the ever-increasing cost of helping pets and by extension, their owners, has blown Hufford away.
“The outpouring of these items and experiences that are up for auction is just remarkable,” he said. “Where else are you going to be able to bid on Susan Wiggs writing your pet into one of her next novels? I mean, that’s a very cool prize.”
On the Spot
PAWS of Bainbridge and North Kitsap will host its Spotlight gala dinner and auction from 5-9 p.m. Sept. 19 at IslandWood. For tickets and information, see www.pawsbainbridge.org.
