Animal rescue society hosts successful fundraising bake sale

By Rob Vogt
It was a chance to enjoy some great, homemade baking and support a worthy cause all at the same time.
The Claresholm Animal Rescue Society held a bake sale in the parking lot of the animal shelter on Sunday, Sept. 22, where people could buy some baked goods and meet some of the animals in the shelter.
Proceeds from the event go to offset the cost of running the shelter.
It costs about $6,000 per month, roughly, with other expenses on top of that.
The animal rescue society receives a grant of $30,000 from the Town of Claresholm. That leaves the society having to fundraise about two-thirds of its budget or $90,000.
They also rely on approximately 1,000 volunteer hours per month.
So every dollar, the society raises, counts.
The event was also held in memory of Judy Lelek, a long-time volunteer at the shelter.
Barb Hinkle volunteered with Lelek for many years.
She said every spring Lelek and fellow volunteers would thin out her flower garden, put the plants in pots, and sell them with all proceeds going to the animal rescue society.
“She had the most beautiful flowers,” Hinkle said, adding they included perennials such as peonies, lilies and irises.
In fact, some of her plants were available at the bake sale on Sunday.
“Everything was for the shelter,” Hinkle said.
Lelek also started volunteering at the shelter more than a decade ago.
She took a full shift running the shelter then, when unable to do a full shift, did laundry, dishes and whatever else she could. She also brought baking.
“She was a very giving person,” Hinkle said. “Fun too. We had a lot of fun.”
Lelek also sat on the board of the animal rescue society.
“She always had lots of ideas,” Hinkle said. “She was a lovely, giving person.”