Fundraiser Upcoming For Lambertville's Animal Alliance, Which Sheltered Pets Post-Ida

LAMBERTVILLE, NJ — A Lambertville animal shelter that offered refuge to pets displaced in the post-Ida flooding is seeking funds for its annual operating costs with a country-themed benefit in early April.

Animal Alliance adopts out around 1,000 animals annually, executive director Annie Trinkle told Patch. She founded the private nonprofit shelter about 20 years ago.

But adoptions aren't Animal Alliance's only goal — the shelter hosts a low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine clinic for pet owners, and offers low-cost surgeries and bloodwork for community members who want to provide care to feral cats.

"We don’t believe that pet ownership is a privilege," Trinkle said. "We want everyone to have accessible, affordable care for their pets, even if they can’t afford a private veterinarian."

Animal Alliance took that mission to new heights last fall, when the shelter received a call from the city of Lambertville asking for aid in the intense flooding from Hurricane Ida.

"A low-cost apartment building had been completely decimated, completely flooded," Trinkle said. "People left with their animals held over their head, rescued by the fire department. So we were able to turn on a dime and take those animals in immediately."

Animal Alliance sheltered twelve pets free of charge on an open-ended basis, giving the animals medical care and allowing their owners unlimited visitation while they recovered and worked to get back in stable housing.

Trinkle even went so far as to read up on public housing and section 8, helping some community members fill out housing applications.

"I have to say, I have a master's degree in business and some of the applications were complicated," she said.

Some pets were with the shelter as long as six months. Now, all animals aside from one dog have been fully reunited with their owners.

"We were happy to do it because they’re our local community, and we wanted to lend a hand the best way we could," she said.

Trinkle and other members of the shelter's leadership team volunteer their time completely (though all staff at the shelter are paid). Even still, operating costs for veterinary expenses, program expenses, rent, and more rack up quickly — keeping the shelter running takes tens of thousands of dollars each month.

"We don’t get any state or county aid," she said. "That’s kind of a misperception that some people have — we’re an animal shelter, so we must get 'funding' of some kind. But we don’t. We have to raise every single dollar."

In past years, pre-COVID pandemic, the shelter would host bingo nights and other events to generate community interest and raise money. In 2022, after a long hiatus from fundraising nights, they're hoping to go big.

The April 2 bash "It's Cool To Be Country" will feature a mechanical bull, live country music, cocktails, and live and silent auctions of donated items. Plus, there will be vegan food, vegetarian food, and traditional barbecue.

"Our goal is to raise a good chunk of money to help our programs and our work," Trinkle said.

She added that fostering pets and volunteering are also great ways to get involved with the shelter and contribute to caring for local animals.

"It's Cool To Be Country" will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Sergeantsville Ballroom in Stockton, 761 Sergeantsville Rd. Tickets are available online for $100.

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