RANCHO SANTA FE — There is a chill in the air and a definite holiday cheer has settled in for the months ahead. Helen Woodward Animal Center is excited to offer a terrific assortment of winter-month activities and campaigns that will not only delight animal-lovers of all ages but will support the center’s orphan pets and programs. Check out the variety of ways to make critters a part of your plans and the recipients of your giving spirit.
Pay a holiday visit to Frosty Farm and St. Nick at Night. Youngsters and their parents are invited to weekends at Helen Woodward Animal Center where hands-on animal encounters are combined with family-friendly activities guaranteed to create cheerful memories this holiday season. Best of all, all funds support the pets and programs at Helen Woodward Animal Center.
St. Nick at Night is on Fridays from 5 to 6 p.m. or 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Dec. 6, Dec. 13, and Dec. 20, at the center’s Education Building, 6523 Helen Woodward. St. Nick at Night tickets are $5.49 per child and adults are free. This early evening family happening is a festive and relaxed event and is the perfect place to escape the hectic holiday happenings. Holiday merriment includes beautiful lights, group story time with Santa Claus, cookie decorating, hot chocolate, a fun craft and animal interactions.
Frosty Farm is on Saturdays and Sundays Dec. 1, Dec. 7, Dec. 8, Dec. 14 and Dec. 15. Winter daytime festivities on the weekend include an elf obstacle course, cookie decorating, face painting, hot chocolate, holiday music, holiday-themed craft-making, photo opportunities with fluffy, furry, feathery, and scaled friends, and a personal meet and greet with Santa Claus – bring your letters. Frosty Farm tickets are $10.99 per child and $20.99 per adult
For more information on Helen Woodward Animal Center’s Frosty Farm and St. Nick at Night, contact Santa’s Workshop (aka the Education Department) at [email protected] or (858) 756-4117 ext. 318.
HWAC is also taking part in Pets Without Walls. The Center will join efforts to assist homeless families by keeping their furry companions fed and healthy. The center’s Pets Without Walls Program makes bi-weekly visits to shelters headed by Alpha Project, Father Joe’s, and Interfaith, providing health checks, microchipping, preventative medical care, important vaccinations, flea and tick medication, and pet food (through an extension of its AniMeals program), along with pet beds and toys.
In January, to combat the dropping temperatures, Helen Woodward Animal Center’s campaign aims to provide actual warmth to the pets of San Diego’s homeless. Pets Without Walls spay and neuter vehicle will be on site Dec. 12 at Father Joe’s Villages, 3350 E St., San Diego, on with healthcare checks and cozy gifts. If you would like to be a part of this special holiday-themed event, the center is seeking, pet sweaters, blankets, cozy pet beds and scarves, hats, and gloves for human family members.
To learn more about Pets Without Walls or make a donation to support the ongoing operational expenses, contact Helen Woodward Animal Center VP of Development Renee Resko at (858) 756-4117, ext. 347 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Of course, at the end of the day, the best way to help an orphan pet during the holiday season is to adopt. As one of the most successful pet adoption programs in the world, Home 4 the Holidays partners with thousands of animal organizations dedicated to finding forever homes for orphan pets. For more information, visit home4theholidays.org.
