Fundraising for furry friends

Heart of the Valley (HOV) is a nonprofit animal shelter in Bozeman for cats and dogs. On Saturday, March 6, the shelter hosted an annual fundraising event called the Snowshoe Shuffle —an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with your beloved four-legged friends. In previous years the event was hosted at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, and participants walked together with their dogs on the trail with snowshoes. This year, due to COVID-19, the event was hosted through social media and participants were able to log their own miles and post to Instagram or Facebook using the hashtag, #HOVSNOWSHOESHUFFLE, all with individual donation sites for friends or family to contribute funds for each mile travelled.

Andrea Lambert, the Director of Annual Giving at HOV, said, “Every fundraiser that we have goes directly to providing care for the animals at the shelter,” which includes food, shelter, medical care and staff support. For those who were unable to participate in the event but still would like to contribute, Lambert suggested visiting the organization’s website (https://www.heartofthevalleyshelter.org/) to learn more about donating and volunteer opportunities. 

HOV was very happy with the number of participants involved this year. “We had about 70 participants registered to walk or hike with their dogs, and people really got into the photo contest and tracking their miles, so that was a lot of fun,” Lambert said. HOV is very optimistic about the success of this event, and continues to encourage people to check their website for more fundraising and volunteering opportunities and to learn more about the shelter as well.

“We are absolutely looking for volunteers and volunteers come in and do some training, and the more training you get, the more you work directly with the animals,” Lambert said. “There’s an application on the website for volunteers, but they’re also just welcome to call the shelter to speak with someone.” There are also ways to donate money toward animal care or the organization’s endowment fund. Whether it’s through an online payment, over the phone, or by mail, the website for HOV provides all the necessary information. “People are always welcome to donate online. All of those gifts, even $25 or $50, they really add up for us,” Lambert said.