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Those who wish to lend a helping hand to animals have multiple opportunities over the next few months to participate in activities to raise funds for Tri-City Paws, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting animals.

During a recent interview, Tri-City Paws volunteer Tiffany Vessey talked about the organization and the upcoming events.

“We are a nonprofit organization that helps rescue animals in dire situations,” Vessey said. “We also provide food and supplies for fosters who take care of special needs animals that overflow from the shelter.”

According to Vessey, the upcoming events are to raise funds and supplies to be used to assist the animals. The first event will enable folks to help while having some pizza at a local restaurant.

“We’ve got an event on Sept. 26, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Harlan Pizza Hut,” Vessey said. “They’ve been so generous to share part of their proceeds that night with us. We’re encouraging everyone who would want to eat out anyway to swing by the Pizza Hut and have that warm, fuzzy feeling from knowing that they’re helping to take care of animals.”

Coming up in October, a Halloween-themed event is in the planning stages.

“We are having a Halloween costume contest for animals,” Vessey said. “It’s open to all pets, cats, dogs, goats, and others. It’s going to work a lot like the dog show we had at the Poke Sallet Festival.”

Pictures of the winners will be posted on the Tri-City Paws Facebook page.

The group has also tentatively planned a food drive for November.

“We have a food drive that we are calling ‘A Bite for you, a Bite for Me,’” Vessey said. “Basically, as people buy their Thanksgiving meals, we’re hoping that they will donate some dog food, cat food, or any other supplies like that for pets so that we can make sure all the animals at the shelter and all the fosters have a lovely Thanksgiving meal as well.”

There are also plans being made for a December event.

“We’re tentatively calling it an ‘Angel Tree for Critters,’” Vessey said. “Basically, what we’re asking is for people to sponsor a shelter or foster animal and just get it a little gift like a bag of treats, a can of wet food, just something simple so all those animals who are in the shelter and not in their forever homes can have a nice Christmas too.”

The Angel Tree for Critters will operate in much the same way as the Angel Tree for children, Vessey explained.

More details for all events will be available closer to the events and will be posted on the Tri City Paws Facebook page.

“Tri-City Paws funds are used to provide dog food, cat food, vaccinations, and help with spay and neuter clinics for the animals before they’re adopted,” Vessey explained. “We also take care of emergency expenses for the animals we’re taking care of. Right now, we’ve got a kitten who has some severely infected joints, and it needs to be medicated and cared for. We also have five dogs that are heartworm positive; each one is needing heartworm treatment.”

Vessey said that Tri-City Paws is always grateful for any assistance people may offer.

“We’re always open to donations of food, cat litter, funds, and of course, we are always in desperate need of fosters, people willing to take care of an animal – not all of them are special needs, some of them are just not doing well in the shelter because they need more socialization or they’re scared of the other animals so they just need a loving home to hang out in until we can get them to a rescue which will place them in their forever home,” Vessey said.

Anyone interested in more information on any of the events should contact Vessey at tiffany.vessey@gmail.com or at (606) 273-4320.

“If they do give me a call and leave a message, they need to identify they are calling about Tri City Paws, then I will get them connected with the proper parties in the organization to facilitate those donations,” Vessey explained.