CUMBERLAND — An upcoming five-day yard sale is expected to raise thousands of dollars for felines in need of help.

The Homeless Animal Rescue Team of Maine Adoption Center and Cat Shelter is a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers. The shelter provides a temporary home and medical attention to cats and kittens that have been abandoned, abused, injured or surrendered, with the goal of finding those felines permanent, loving homes.

The no-kill shelter, at 302 Range Road, maintains an average of 110 cats. But due to limited space, the organization relies on local foster homes to care for hundreds of others.

HART receives no government funding, and relies on donations and raised funds for its operation running and to pay for spaying and neutering.

That’s where events like the annual yard sale come in. All proceeds from the event, to be held in the Exhibition Hall at the Cumberland Fairgrounds (197 Blanchard Road), benefit the shelter.

Regular hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, and Friday, Aug. 17; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, and 8 a.m.-noon Sunday, Aug. 19.

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A special pre-opening event will be held from 4-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15. For a $15 entry fee, people can shop early, partake of wine, soft drinks and appetizers, and meet HART’s new executive director, Lisa Smith.

Call 829-4116 or log onto hartofme.org/yard-sale for more information.

HART looks to raise $25,000, which means grossing about $30,000, Smith said Tuesday. The overhead includes advertising, rental of storage lockers and containers and soliciting donations. Last year’s event brought in about $20,000.

“We’re requesting people dig down and find items that would have some value and donate to the sale to help raise much-needed funds for HART’s operation,” Smith said.

HART, which has also held an annual “Litter Box Ball” to raise funds, started the yard sale about 14 years ago out of the shelter’s parking lot, Smith said. It grew so fast that traffic began to snarl on Range Road, prompting town officials to arrange for the event to be held at the fairgrounds.

The Exhibition Hall space seemed way too big when HART started using it seven years ago, Smith recalled. But “it has evolved to the point where it’s barely big enough to contain it.”

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The sale offers thousands of items in 30 categories. Furniture, collectibles, household items, clothing, toys, books, jewelry, vintage items, art, tools – even pets are among the offerings. Bake and craft sales will also be on site, and special discounts will kick in Saturday and Sunday.

People can drop off items at the shelter through Sunday, Aug. 12, and at the fairgrounds from Monday, Aug. 13, to Thursday, Aug. 16, until 6 p.m.

Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.

 

The Homeless Animal Rescue Team of Maine Adoption Center and Cat Shelter hopes to raise $25,000 next week in its annual yard sale, to be held in the Cumberland Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall.


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