Submitted by Lou Ann Sakaki
CATHEYS VALLEY – Wayward Ponies’ Home will hold its seventh annual fundraising event indoors for the first time, on Saturday, Feb. 20, from noon till 2 p.m. at McKay Hall in the Catheys Valley County Park, located at 2820 E. Highway 140. Wayward Ponies’ Home is a small equine sanctuary providing a permanent home for a limited number of horses and ponies whose loving families couldn’t keep them anymore. A few others were rescued from neglect or abuse. The sanctuary is now at capacity.
“With this year’s El Nino conditions, it’s a good bet we’ll get rained out, so we booked McKay Hall this year,” says director Lou Ann Sakaki. “We’ll be able to offer hot soup along with the bakery treats and sweets.” This year will mark the third running of the sanctuary’s unique potluck-style raffle.
“We’re not raffling off casseroles,” she explains. “Here’s how it works: tickets go on sale at noon for $20 each–one ticket per household, and you must be present to purchase. The duplicate of your ticket is taped to the underside of a pot lid. The lids are taped shut so that no one knows which pot they’ve got, nor what’s in the pot till opening time at one o’clock. Each pot contains prizes worth over $50 combined. At this point, people may swap one, some, or all of their prizes with others. The element of chance makes it fun, and this method is faster than a conventional raffle. We usually have at least 25 pots, thanks to the generosity of local merchants and private donors.”
At 2 p.m., the indoor event finishes, and those attending are invited to caravan over to Wayward Ponies’ Home to see the horses and ponies during a self-directed tour.
Those interested may learn more about the sanctuary on the new website, waywardponieshome.org. Tax-deductible donations of new merchandise or gift certificates are needed. To donate, or to receive a card with information, email help@waywardponieshome.org or call 209-742-4451.
McKay Hall is located at 2820 E. Highway 140 in the Catheys Valley County Park.
Lou Ann Sakaki is the Director of Wayward Ponies’ Home, Inc.
