Wine, Chocolate, and Fundraising

By Brianne Harrison

Delicious wines, hors d’oevres, music, and fundraising for foster kids—sound good? You’ll find it all at Hudson County CASA’s 4th Annual Wine Tasting Fundraiser this Friday. The Wine Library of Springfield will be on hand with a tasting of more than 80 different wines, and there’ll also be a silent auction and raffle, as well as food and music. Cap off the evening with a chocolate tasting—a delicious way to end the night!

The Wine Tasting Fundraiser will be held at the Atrium at Harborside Financial Center in Jersey City. Tickets are $65 in advance and all proceeds support CASA and its mission to advocate on behalf of Hudson County’s 700+ foster children. To learn more or purchase tickets, visit hudsoncountycasa.org.

Helping Hounds

By Brianne Harrison

Greyhounds are amazing creatures—majestic, elegant, and from what I hear, incredible family pets. But the breed has a storied (and often tragic) history, with many of these dogs ending up on racetracks, where they’re frequently subjected to strenuous races and cruel treatment. Too often, their careers are short, and dogs are disposed of once they’re no longer bringing in money.

Thankfully, there are a number of rescues devoted to saving these dogs and finding them good homes. One, Greyhound Friends of New Jersey, Inc., is having a fundraiser March 27. The evening will feature prizes, a buffet dinner, cash bar, and a tricky tray, all for a $25 donation. Space is limited, so if you’re interested in spending a fun evening helping animals in need, e-mail flutz22331@aol.com.

In other news…
Nature’s Variety has issued a voluntary recall of its Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diets for dogs and cats with an expiration date of 10/29/10 or 11/9/10 and Chicken Formula and Organic Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diets with an expiration date on or before 2/5/11 due to possible salmonella contamination. If you’ve purchased any of these items, return them to your retailer for a full refund or replacement.

Little Shelter, Big Cause

By Brianne Harrison

This week, we’re going to take a little trip north, to the Long Island-based Little Shelter Animal Rescue & Adoption Center. Little Shelter is notable for being one of Long Island’s oldest no-kill shelters, having spent the last 82 years rescuing and rehousing strays and abandoned or abused cats and dogs. But now, this admirable and much-loved institution finds itself in a precarious situation.

Like many shelters across the country, Little Shelter has been inundated with animals due to the bad economy. Heartbreakingly, unemployment, wage decreases, and foreclosures are forcing many loving owners to hand over their pets. The economy has also led to the closure of two Long Island shelters—Bid-A-Wee and Animal Haven, bringing even more homeless animals to Little Shelter, which is now caring for more than 400 cats and 50 dogs. This is, understandably, putting an immense strain on the shelter’s own resources at a time when donations are down 30%. As a result, Little Shelter has had to cut back on services such as animal medical care and its numerous community animal care services.

In an effort to raise much-needed funds, Little Shelter has extended its Holiday Donation Drive through January 7, 2010. Even a small donation can help this shelter keep going for another year. Why is this shelter worth your donation? Consider what Little Shelter offers: besides providing homes for many homeless animals, Little Shelter is also committed to rescuing senior and special needs animals, as well as some of the pets left behind during Hurricane Katrina (such as Walker, pictured here). Little Shelter also maintains a foster home network and an animal soup kitchen that helps people in low-income households keep and care for their pets in these difficult times by providing them with food and medical supplies. How’s that for a worthy cause?

This is the season for giving, and even a small amount can make a difference. Maybe you’ve had your eye on a new outfit or pair of shoes or book—nothing wrong with that! But take just a moment to consider what else that $20 or $50 can buy, and maybe you can find an extra $10 or $20 lying around that can help support these helpless, homeless animals.

To donate to Little Shelter, visit
littleshelter.com/fundraisers/donations.htm
or send a check of any amount to:
Little Shelter Animal Rescue
Dept. HD
33 Warner Rd.
Huntington, NY 11743

The Holiday Spirit

By Brianne Harrison

As we noted in our most recent issue, the holiday season seems to bring out people’s charitable sides. We donate our pocket change to the Salvation Army, or perhaps a gift to a needy child. Some, like seven-year-old Jake Rothstein, go a little further.

Jake is a second grader at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School, a Woodbridge resident, and a major animal lover. While picking up his newly adopted cat, Felix, from Angel PAWS in Colonia, he noticed the many other needy animals housed at the shelter and decided to do something to help them. So, Jake is organizing a collection of supplies the shelter needs at the BarronArtsCenter’s annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, which takes place today from 5-7 p.m.

Items the shelter needs include cat and dog food (wet and premium dry), litter, paper towels, paper plates, cleaning supplies (bleach, soap), towels, pet beds, toys, bathroom throw rugs, plastic garbage bags, grooming items (q-tips, cotton balls), and office supplies (paper, pens, etc). The collection box will remain at the ArtsCenter until December 31.

Santa Paws
Why should kids get all the fun? Take your pets to see Santa and have their pictures taken this weekend!

The Morris Animal Inn (120 Sand Spring Rd., Morristown) will have holiday pet photos on Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Morris K9 Campus (1 Aspen Dr., Randolph) will have photo sessions on Sunday, December 6, also from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Photos will be taken by professional photographer, Hugo Juarez. A $10 sitting fee includes one 5 x 7 photo. Additional images may be ordered. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey. For reservations, call Morris Animal Inn at 973.539.0377 or Morris K9 Campus at 973.252.5100.

Santa will also be stopping by the Jersey Shore Animal Center (185 Brick Blvd., Brick) this Saturday and Sunday from 12 Noon to 3 p.m. for pet photos. Cost is $10 per photo and all proceeds benefit the homeless animals at the Center. For more information, call 732.920.1600 or visit jerseyshoreanimalcenter.org.

Princeton-based SAVE, a Friend to Homeless Animals, is hosting Photos with Santa at PetCo in the Mercer Mall on December 5 and 12 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the animals at SAVE.

Happy Howl-idays!

‘Wining’ not ‘Whining’

You know, I’d been thinking that there just aren’t enough opportunities for me to combine my love of a nice wine with my desire to help homeless animals (no, really, I was actually thinking that), when lo and behold, two such events come to my attention. Kismet? Serendipity? Whatever it is, it’s nice to be able to try a few good reds and whites while helping out animals in need.

The lineup:
First up is the Wine Tasting for St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, scheduled for Friday, November 6 at the Morris Museum. A $45 ticket gets you samplings of more than 100 wines from around the world, hors d’oeuvres provided by area restaurants, and access to the museum’s exhibits, which currently include Invitations to a Wedding: Bridal Gowns from the 1820s to the Present; Horseplay: A History of Equestrian Sports in New Jersey; and Sculpture by Sassona Norton and from the Collection of the Morris Museum. Tickets can be purchased online at sthuberts.org or at Main Street Wine Cellar at 300 Main Street in Madison.

Up next is All Star Pet Rescue’s First Annual Wine Tasting on November 20. Swing by the Salt Creek Grille in Rumson to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a Tricky Tray raffle, and entertainment. All Star is currently accepting donations for the Tricky Tray. For more information, e-mail AllStarPets@comcast.net or visit allstar.petfinder.com.

This economy is hitting everyone hard, but animal shelters have been having a particularly difficult time of it—funding and donations are down, and more pets than ever are being handed over. So why not spend an evening living it up and helping out? It’s a decision you’re very unlikely to regret.

Pictured: Frankie, Noodles, and Panther, three dogs available for adoption through All Star Pet Rescue

A Better World Café

By Pat Tanner

The folks at two area non-profits with missions to help the less fortunate of our neighbors have launched a delicious new joint venture: a community café serving seasonal local fare, where customers decide what price is fair and where those who cannot pay with money may exchange an hour of volunteer time for their meal.

A Better World Café is a collaboration between Elijah’s Promise and Who Is My Neighbor, and is the only the fifth so-called community cafe in the nation - and the first east of the Mississippi. Every Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. it serves a multi-cultural menu of simple, healthy soups, breads, salads, sandwiches, and desserts in an attractive Arts-and-Crafts style room in the Reformed Church of Highland Park, which is where Who Is My Neighbor is based.

The fresh, sustainable fare, all sourced from within a 50-mile radius, is made at Elijah’s Promise Culinary School in New Brunswick and transported daily to the café. The school provides intensive training for skilled employment in the food service industry. Workers from the school and (unpaid) volunteers staff the cafe.

Last month, Elijah’s Promise put together a tasting of some of the dishes now on the autumn menu – to universal rave reviews, including from this correspondent. Creamy butternut squash soup with horseradish cream…a creative and improbably delicious sandwich of roasted beets and goat cheese in whole-wheat pita…and pear strudel with caramel sauce went well beyond the promised “simple” fare.

Styrofoam, plastic, and paper plates and utensils are banned here, and only free-trade coffees and teas are served. The church room is intended to be the café’s temporary home. The goal is that demand will necessitate a facility of its own, as well as extended hours and, hence, the employment of more Elijah’s Promise graduates.

A Better World Café
The Quilt Room in the Reformed Church of Highland Park
19 South Second Ave.
Highland Park
betterworldcafe.org

Dine Well, Drink Up, Do Good

By Pat Tanner

One of my favorite organizations, Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick, is holding their largest and most important annual fundraiser on Monday, June 29th - and it promises to be their best one yet.

For one thing, the venue is the spectacular Palace at Somerset Park. For another, more than 25 restaurants and food artisans will be participating in the three-hour Chef’s Night. Joining longtime supporters such as The Frog and the Peach, The Brothers Moon, Harvest Moon Brewery, and The Bent Spoon are more recent additions such as Due Mari and Steakhouse 85 in New Brunswick, Edison’s Skylark Diner, Via 45 of Red Bank, and Headquarters. That last serves up some of the best homestyle Lebanese fare in the state in a no-frills space in North Brunswick. For the full list of participants visit elijahspromise.net.

The main beneficiary of the evening is Elijah’s Promise’s state-accredited culinary school, Promise Jobs, which equips those in need of a second change with the skills to be employed in a field that pays a living wage. Chef’s Night raises about $75,000 each year for that good purpose.

There’s a live auction, lots of wines to taste, and live music in addition to the eat-fest, all of which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets, at $125 each, can be reserved by phoning 732.545.9002, ext. 110.

Monday Muse: The Aljira Fine Art Auction 2008

By Kimberly Baldwin

Aljira, the premier Center for Contemporary Art in Newark, is set to host its hugely popular annual Fine Art Auction on Thursday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. in its Newark galleries.

This year’s auction will feature 120 works, including those by artists from New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area, such as Willie Cole, Cindy Sherman, James Siena, and Catherine Opie.

As in previous years, the live portion will be under the rousing gavel of Harmer Johnson of the popular PBS series Antiques Roadshow. Master of Ceremonies will be Jeffrey Norman, Vice President, Public Affairs at Newark’s own New Jersey Performing Art Center.

The auction will take place via online, silent, and live platforms. The online auction will feature 40 works available exclusively through aljira.org. Additionally, all of the works featured in the live and silent portions of the auction will be on view and available for advance bids online.

On the evening of Thursday, April 3, the silent auction will begin at 5:30 p.m., 591 Broad Street in downtown Newark. The live auction will begin at 7 p.m. sharp. Tickets are $75, and can be purchased by calling Aljira at 973.622.1600 or e-mailing info@aljira.org.

All proceeds from the auction support Aljira’s exhibitions and public programs.

The Monday Muse: Film Shorts to Benefit Hunterdon Museum of Art

By Kimberly Baldwin

Nicole Cattell is a 2003 Guggenheim Fellow, a 2004 NYFA Fellow, and an award-winning documentary producer/director. Named by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the "25 New Faces in Independent Film," she will be appearing at the Hunterdon Museum of Art for an evening of documentary shorts to benefit the museum's education programs and exhibitions.

Two of her films will be screened: Come Unto Me, a portrait of one artist who created a massive outdoor artscape in the heart of Detroit's blighted East Side, which received an Emmy and three Best Documentary awards at Sundance, and Revolucion: Five Visions. This film reframes the Cuban revolution through the art of photography, focusing on the personal stories of five Cuban photographers whose lives and work span nearly five decades of revolution in Cuba.

VIP reservation is $50 per person and includes a pre-screening reception with Ms. Cattell at 6 p.m., the film screenings at 7:30 p.m., and then a Q & A session with the documentarian. Call the museum at 908.735.8415 ext. 10 to RSVP, preferably by March 21.

The Monday Muse: (AUCTION) RED

By Kimberly Baldwin

An art auction to love -- about love -- takes place this Valentine's Day at Sotheby's. Hosted by (RED) co-founder Bono and artist Damien Hirst, the auction will feature donated works from more than 60 contemporary artists, including Hirst, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Matthew Barney, Cecily Brown, Takashi Murakami, and Banksy (who thoughtfully defaced a Hirst piece just for this special sale).

Every penny of the estimated $21 million raised will go directly to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Damien Hirst said to the Independent newspaper, "Money is a key and what we raise from this auction will make a huge difference for a lot of people. For a relatively small amount of effort on each artist's part we can actually save many lives. It's great to be able to give something back and make a difference." I'd personally love to see auction sales go through the roof.

Wondering what's behind the parentheses or brackets used by (RED)? It's there to denote an embrace.

Pre-sale exhibition (through Feb. 13):
Gagosian Gallery
522 W. 21st St.
New York, NY
212.741.1717
gagosian.com

(Auction) RED (Feb. 14, 7 p.m.):
Sotheby's
1334 York Avenue
New York, NY
212.606.7414
sothebys.com

Friday Finds: New life for old guitars

By Kathy Shaskan

If you have any old acoustic guitars and would like to see them put to good use, listen up: A non-profit group in Homdel is collecting instruments for a music program at a school in Uganda. Sylvia's Children, founded by Sylvia Allen, reports that the students who have already received guitars are "enthralled" with their music lessons. Instructor Tony Costa is pictured above.

Monday Muse: Viva Art!

By Kimberly Baldwin

Visual Arts Center of New Jersey kicks off Viva Art!, the Art Center's 75th Anniversary Gala on Wednesday, January 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Trustees, members, staff, and volunteers will come together for the kick off party. Viva Art! will take place on April 4 at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park, and will honor and celebrate those who have played a significant role in the development of the Art Center, as well as raise funds to support their community outreach programs.

The Art Center is located at 68 Elm Street in Summit and on the Web at njcva.org.

Friday Finds: A worthy cause...can you help?

By Kathy Shaskan

We just heard from Roseann Trezza, Executive Director of the Associated Humane Societies in Newark. She told us that a printing problem has thrown off the schedule of the group's fundraiser, the Popcorn Park Calendar (from Popcorn Park in Forked River). And even though January is under way, she asks that you still support their efforts by buying this worthwhile item. Order the $10 calendar online or email associatedhumane@aol.com for more information.