Tickets ($60 advance/$70 on day of event) for the Bark & Wine at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31 can be purchased at moaspets.com/barkandwineswag/bark-and-wine-tickets or by visiting or calling the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter.
The Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter (MOAS) will host its 10th annual Bark & Wine fundraiser at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31 at Historic Smithonia Farm.
As MOAS’ largest fundraiser of the year, shelter leadership hope to raise significant amounts of money to combat rising costs for operations. While the Bark & Wine has sold out in past years, this year’s ticket sales have been unexpectedly sluggish.
“Normally, we would say somewhere between 200-300 people,” said Sherrie Hines, MOAS board member and Bark & Wine coordinator. “This year, ticket sales are really low, and I’m not sure why.”
The event each year is sponsored by local businesses that help provide dinner, dessert, live music and wine and beer. The Bark & Wine will also feature a silent and live auction and raffles throughout the night with a running list of over 100 donated prizes from Braves tickets to a Catio enrichment setup.
But beyond the festivities is a deeper purpose.
MOAS faces mounting financial challenges as inflation drives up costs of supplies and veterinary care options.
“We focus on the event being a lot of fun and an opportunity to win all sorts of really cool prizes,” Hines said. “But at the end of the day, the thing that’s the most important is that we’re trying to raise as much money as we possibly can for the shelter.”
Last year’s Bark & Wine raised about $20,000 for the shelter, a number MOAS hopes to surpass.
“We’re always thankful for what is given and what is raised,” said Danielle Burgess, MOAS board president. “The more we can get, the more we can stay operating, accordingly.”
Shelter leaders say operating expenses often climb to $10,000 or $11,000 per month. Juli Huth, MOAS’ newly hired executive director, hopes this year’s Bark & Wine will give the shelter more breathing room to fix smaller things.
“We’ve got just random things breaking,” she said. “It’s an older building, so things just break as time goes on.”
Outside of inventory, MOAS is looking for more support within the community.
“We desperately need community support,” Hines said. “We need volunteers. We need foster parents.”
Bark & Wine is also a chance for the shelter to thank long-time supporters and invite new ones into the fold.
“We deal with a lot of heavy handed stuff from day to day, so it’s a good way for the community to come and see and take a different side of things from the shelter,” Burgess said.