Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone taking part in Give to the Max Day

SANDSTONE, Minn. –Thursday, Nov 20, is Give to the Max Day in Minnesota, the statewide event encourages giving donations towards nonprofit organizations and schools. In Sandstone, The Wildcat Sanctuary is taking part.

Give to the Max is the most important fundraiser of the year for the Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, which operates as a non-profit rescue.

“It is when we try and raise four to five months of our operating costs here, and it is expensive to care for big cats appropriately,” Tammy Thies, Owner and Founder of the Wildcat Sanctuary said.

This year, if you donate during Give to the Max, not only are you supporting the animals at the sanctuary, you also get the chance to win a unique experience.

“Anybody that gives $100 or more is going to get a photo card of beautiful leopard Bentley, plus his paw print, and then anybody that donates during Give to the Max is entered into a drawing to come and have a behind the scenes visit. Since we’re not open to the public, this is really a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Thies said.

The Wildcat Sanctuary isn’t open to the public to ensure proper care for the animals, which range from cats of all sizes, such as lions, panthers, bobcats and much more.

So a behind the scenes visit is a rare opportunity.

“You’ll get to walk along with caretakers to see feedings of the rescued residents. You’ll get to learn about the medical care and their back stories of why they needed sanctuary in the first place,” Thies said.

Additionally, each donation during Give to the Max will be triple matched by donors of the sanctuary.

“It’s $10,000 to $15,000 a year to care for one big cat here at the sanctuary,” Thies said. “Building habitats can be upwards of $200,000 and then you have specialized medical care, much like your dog or cat, we’re doing preventative care, from vaccines to wellness exams to blood work to make sure that we can give these cats not only a safe haven, but make sure that they’re healthy through their lives.”

The Wildcat Sanctuary also hopes that the fundraiser can educate people on the captive wildlife crisis.

“The cats here come from many different backgrounds, from defunct roadside zoos to people that tried to keep them as former pets to exploitation and neglect, and so to be able to share their happy endings here with the general public and with a special donor means the world that that person can go out and share the message that wild deserves to remain wild,” Thies said.

Donate here.