RIDGEWOOD — A Bergen County-based nonprofit committed to helping families in distress keep their pets will hold a fundraiser in the village on Sunday.
Dubbed the “Carnivale of the Dogs,” the event organized by the Hillsdale-based nonprofit Companion Animal Advocates will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the village’s Wild Duck Pond on East Ridgewood Avenue. It will feature food, music, and a myriad of canine-centric vendors and activities, including a doggie beauty salon, a pet caricaturist, trainer demonstrations and giveaways of various types.
All proceeds will go directly towards the organization’s “Operation Feed a Pet,” which donates pet food to local pantries in Mahwah, Ridgewood, and Saddle Brook so needy families aren’t forced to part ways with their dog or cat because they can no longer afford to care for them.
“We wanted to end that cycle,” said group Vice President Christine Devereaux.
Since the organization’s inception 9 years ago, she said, it has donated nearly a million bowls of pet food to local pantries.The group spends more than $4,000 a month in providing donations to these food banks, Devereaux said, and money from its two annual events — one in the spring, one in the fall — is vital to replenishing its coffers.
“It’s huge,” she said, noting the autumn affair normally draws about 500 people. “The money that’s raised really helps our organization.”
The event is free, but attendees are asked to bring a donation of dog or cat food to aid pet owners.
Also present will be about a half-dozen North Jersey-based animal rescue/shelter groups seeking to adopt out their animals.
The Carnivale of the Dogs is sponsored by TD Bank in Ridgewood, as it has been for the last 9 years, Devereaux said.
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
