Humane Society Calumet Area (HSCA) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and they recently held a Pancake Breakfast at St. James Church in Highland with the support of Strack & Van Til, a longtime supporter of HSCA.
“Strack & Van Til promoted the event in select stores with flyers and allowed HSCA to set up a booth for two days at select locations to promote the pancake breakfast, sell tickets, and collect donations,” said HSCA Marketing Director, Ashley Boyer. “They also covered the cost of the hall rental, secured food donations from vendors, and provided gift cards to purchase additional supplies for the event.”
“HSCA is funded solely through special events, memberships, and donations,” said Boyer. “We do not receive federal or state tax dollars, and the organization would not exist without the support of the community and companies like Strack & Van Til. Funds raised at the pancake breakfast provide food, shelter, and medical care to animals in need.”
Strack & Van Til has been a long-time supporter of HSCA, and Boyer spoke about some of the past initiatives that the company has been a part of which helps HSCA and other similar organizations.
“In addition to sponsorships throughout the years, Strack & Van Til partnered with HSCA and 14 other animal organizations to host the first Strack & Van Til Pet Project earlier this year. During one weekend in August, donations made at 23 of the company’s store locations - including Ultra Foods and Town & Country stores - throughout the Chicagoland region benefited local animal organizations.”
Overall, $22,238 and more than $20,000 in merchandise was donated across all locations for animal non-profits. Strack & Van Til also was named Humane Business of the Year at HSCA’s annual gala held in February 2016 for the company’s proven commitment to the betterment of the communities it serves and continued support of HSCA.
Brian Fitzpatrick, Strack & Van Til’s Chief Operator and HSCA Board Member, said, “At Strack and Van Til, we’re passionate about the mission of HSCA. This was the most successful pancake breakfast in the past 5 years, and we were pleased to be a part of it. We assisted in helping to sell tickets. We also had a few of our own volunteers at the event itself.”
“We all had a blast!” Fitzpatrick said. “As an animal lover myself, I am personally connected to HSCA’s mission and the fact that they have over 500 volunteers says that I’m not the only one.”
For Humane Society Calumet Area, working with companies like Strack & Van Til helps to reach more people in the community and spread the word about the mission of the organization and the services HSCA offers.
