Organization for Responsible Care of Animals

Join us for our Annual Great Garage Sale…

It is soon time for our HOTTEST event of the summer – our annual Garage Sale!

When:

ö Saturday August 2, 2008 from 8AM until 3:00PM

Where:

ő Maple Grove Community Building at 1420 Columbia Avenue, Lancaster.

Featuring:

CLEAN and FUNCTIONAL household, gardening items, toys & games, lots of restaurant ware and much more! You just have to come and see and shop our bargains!!!

We will have our “Boutique” again featuring numerous quality collectibles including FIESTA WARE, vintage porcelain and other great collectibles.

BRAND NEW baby and toddler clothing and outfits – a MUST SEE!

NEW THIS YEAR: Special BARGAIN BASEMENT SALE – ALL DAY - fill a BIG bag of items for only $5.00/bag.

During this busy time of year we have been helping a vast number of animals and our resources have been drained. Please do all you can to help us make this fundraising event a success!

The animals you care about are counting on your support – there are many ways you can help:

Check your basement, attic, closets, garages, etc. for CLEAN and FUNCTIONAL items to donate. We cannot accept the following items: Adult clothing, shoes, records, pillows, bedding (blankets, sheets, mattresses), exercise equipment, upholstered furniture, computers, printers and bicycles. We are accepting donations and pricing items now, so please call 397-8922 and leave a message for Brenda to arrange drop off of your donations ASAP. Because all items are pre-priced please do not bring items to the ORCA office or Maple Grove on Friday August 1 or Saturday August 2.

Assist with expenses related to the Garage Sale (rental of the site, advertising and food/kitchen items, etc.). This is perhaps the EASIEST way for you to lend a hand and will be a tremendous boost for us. Send a check or money order to 610 N Lime Street and note that your donation is for our Garage Sale. We will place your business’ name in the ad if you would like some purrfectly great PR!

Help us move our “wares” from the ORCA office starting at 3:30 PM on Friday August 1. If you have access to a vehicle to help transport our items please let us know.

Set up tables and displays beginning at 5:00PM on Friday August 1 at Maple Grove.

Help during day of the sale Saturday August 2 starting at 7:30AM or with cleanup at 2:30PM.

Please call 397-8922 and leave a message for Brenda to let us know how you can help.

ALL proceeds from our Garage Sale will be used to help the needy animals of Lancaster County. As many of you know, this time of year brings us an increased number of emergencies for domestic animals and wildlife, so please help make our Garage Sale a big success. Thank you, in advance, from ORCA and the animals!

Who We Are

ORCA'S primary goal is to rescue any ill, or injured, or in-distress animal, stray or abandoned, in Lancaster County, PA and to provide, on our Animal-Alert Hotline, 717-397-8922, information on animal-related problems. It is the purpose of ORCA to respond 24 hours a day to emergencies, and to provide support to police, fire, and other emergency personnel when they are dealing with situations that involve animals. ORCA does not routinely handle healthy stray animals and wildlife, nor does it routinely shelter animals.

In 1983, four animal-welfare volunteers created ORCA because they saw a need to provide emergency service for stray or abandoned animals in Lancaster County, PA. With $100 and a belief that ill, injured or in-distress animals deserved an organization that would respond to their needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the founders realized they needed a networking system to receive reports of such situations. Within a few months, the Animal-Alert Hotline, 717-397-8922, was created. The first week ten calls were received. Today, the almost exclusively all-volunteer hotline staff logs more than 250 calls a week.

Initially, the emergency-rescue service was all volunteer. But, to meet the ever-growing needs for ORCA's services, staff was hired: first on a part-time basis, then one full-time, next additional part-time employees, until today, ORCA is staffed round the clock every day of the year.

The heart and soul of ORCA's services to the community rests in the hands of an extraordinary group of individuals who answer the hotline everyday. The hotline is manned almost exclusively by volunteers and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Trained ORCA volunteers provide information and assistance to pet owners, non-pet owners and the general public, as well as to police, fire, and other emergency personnel with an animal problem. Armed with a detailed manual, these volunteers are able to provide the caller with the information he/she seeks or to refer the caller to the appropriate agency capable of handling the situation.

The organization, in response to calls from concerned citizens, police or other emergency personnel, picks up injured or ill stray animals. Necessary veterinary care is provided and, in some cases when long term care is required, ORCA provides a foster-care home and follow-up medical care until the animal can be placed permanently.

ORCA maintains a computer database, continually updated, of lost and found animals in Lancaster County, PA.

The organization also investigates complaints of cruelty or neglect of domestic animals. ALL complaints are investigated and follow-ups occur until resolution results. ORCA's philosophy is to attempt to educate the owner in the proper handling and treatment of companion animals.

Please bear in mind that ORCA is currently the ONLY group in Lancaster County that provides emergency services 24 hours a day - seven days a week - 365 days a year to help our area animals!! We recognize the fact that animal emergencies do not occur on a fixed schedule, therefore our response to those emergencies cannot be limited to a "standard" work week.

With the cooperation of area veterinarians, ORCA administers a low-cost, fixed-price spay/neuter program.

ORCA maintains a file of pets available for adoption from owners who are no longer able to keep them and a file of people seeking new pets. Matches between these two files occur on an ongoing basis. Promotion of these placements occurs through advertising in local newspapers.

The greatest percentage of ORCA's yearly budget comes from voluntary contributions by people who care about the plight of needy animals. The organization has tax-exempt status from the IRS, so all donations are tax deductible.

Additional funds are raised through such events as hoagie sales, raffles, a garage sale, and plant and flower sales. Monthly donations and participation in ORCA's "adopt-a-bill" program are meaningful ways for donors to make a specific difference in the organization's work.

The Animal-Alert Hotline is manned almost exclusively by volunteers and is the heart of ORCA. Trained volunteers are constantly needed to staff the 3 or 4-hour shifts. Working on the hotline is done totally from the volunteer's home phone. A forwarding service allows the hotline to be directly linked to the volunteer's home, without cost or release of personal information, in a matter of seconds. Personal calls made directly to the volunteer's private phone number go through as normal. While some volunteers offer a few hours a month to answer the hotline, others choose weekly shifts. An over-the-phone training course complete with a binder of information on ORCA and animal situations assists volunteers in the learning process. It only takes a small time commitment and a compassionate heart to make a difference in the lives of Lancaster County's unwanted and suffering animals. Anyone interested in this opportunity should call the hotline at 717-397-8922.

ORCA always needs caring people to open their homes to needy animals in the foster care program. Through a network of compassionate and dedicated families, ORCA is able to place injured and neglected animals into temporary homes for rehabilitation or care until permanent homes are found. Foster homes allow animals a stress-free environment to begin recovery from their previous suffering. Foster homes are often needed for all types of animals including dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, birds and rabbits.

An evaluation of each animal is done by ORCA staff and veterinarians before placement into a foster home to ensure a proper environment. Foster parents are given all supplies required (food, crate, medications, etc.) by the animals for their entire stay, and volunteers are not responsible for veterinary care or transportation. The length of time an animal remains is foster care varies. Foster parents have the first option at adopting the foster animal.

ORCA takes in many different animals with different backgrounds so it is very important to realize your own limits, whether it is the type of animal, size of the animal or the amount of care an animal might need. Appropriate matches are discussed with the coordinator and the potential foster parents. Once a family has applied to become a foster home, a veterinary reference and a home visit by ORCA personnel is required for final approval.

ORCA communicates closely with each foster family and animal; should an animal not work out in one situation it will be moved to another. Foster families are never bound to a situation. Foster care is an incredibly important part of ORCA's successful adoption program. All you need to do is open your heart and home to an unwanted animal. Anyone interested in this opportunity should call the hotline at 717-397-8922.

A significant portion of ORCA's budget is maintained by the earnings of fundraisers that are conducted throughout the year. Hoagie sales, raffles, a garage sale, and plant and flower sales are just a few of the annual projects. Fundraising events require volunteers in order to be successful. There are so many little things you can do to participate with a minimum time commitment. This is a wonderful opportunity for active individuals seeking community service hours. Anyone interested in this opportunity should call the hotline at 717-397-8922.

ORCA is always is need of donations, whether specific items from our wish list or items that can be sold at our annual garage sale. PLEASE give careful consideration to the condition of the items you wish to donate. All items should be clean, serviceable and in reasonably good condition. This is SO important because we cannot help the animals if the items are not saleable. Local pick up of donations is available; feel free to call the hotline at 717-397-8922 to arrange a time. If you are able to deliver the items yourself, your donation goes even further as this allows us to conserve our limited resources. Please call the hotline at 717-397-8922 to schedule a time for drop-off. As always, monetary donations are also greatly appreciated.

To make a secure tax-deductible donation right now, just click below!

Please Donate Now

Please bear in mind that ORCA is currently the ONLY group in Lancaster County that provides emergency services 24 hours a day - seven days a week - 365 days a year to help our area animals, free of charge!! This is why donations are so VITALLY important.

NO amount is too small to help make a real difference to the needy animals of Lancaster County! For your convenience, you have the option of making a one-time donation OR setting up a recurring donation plan to spread out your payments over time!

REMEMBER! ORCA is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and your donations are tax-deductible. You will receive an email receipt from stardonor.com and the charge will appear on your credit card as Star Donor Charity Solutions as this group provides the secure webpage and server to process your transaction safely.

For those who would like to donate but would rather not use a credit card or the Internet, you may send a check payable to ORCA to: ORCA, 610 N Lime Street, Lancaster, PA 17602.

Missy is everything and more one could ask for in an animal. I'm at an age (children grown) where I need to feel fulfilled. Missy and I have a truly wonderful 'love affair'. I hate to leave her in the morning when I go to work, but what a greeting I get. Each evening while I sew she lies at my feet: she wakes periodically just to check if I'm there and all is okay. It took her about two months before she stopped crying in her sleep. She loves to be held and rocked, which she doesn't need now on a nightly basis. She sleeps in bed with us usually with her head on my thigh, just to be close. My heart is so full of her. Surely wish my home were large enough for more. Thank you so much, ORCA, for giving me this chance. Missy is well on her way to mending her heart and spirit."

This letter captures one of the most memorable and touching rescues in which ORCA has participated. A black Labrador mix, now Missy, was abandoned in an apartment for 16 days. Although several other companion animals - cats, birds and fish - were also left behind, Missy suffered most because she was locked in a tiny powder room without access to food and perhaps water. Dehydrated and starving to death slowly, Missy greeted her liberators, the ORCA emergency team, with weak tail wags. The letter above speaks for itself about Missy's recovery and joyful life thanks to a caring adoptive home and ORCA's commitment to all creatures.

Adopting a friend

As a general rule, ORCA adopts only to persons residing within Lancaster County, PA. We do not adopt to families seeking an outside pet. A home visit will be conducted for final approval. A moderate fee is required to partially defray the cost of maintaining the animal in foster care and to allow ORCA to continue providing vital rescue services to animals in need in Lancaster County, PA.

Please give careful consideration before adopting a new pet. Think about your lifestyle, another pets, children, finances, available time etc. Make sure the pet you are considering will be a good fit in your home and life. All adults residing in the household should be in agreement about an adoption. We are looking for permanent, loving homes that are committed to providing responsible care for the life of the animal. Remember:

If you've found the newest member of your family within these pages, please call the ORCA hotline (717-397-8922) and leave a message with the phone volunteer. Please also tell the volunteer which animal you are interested in adopting and include a home and work number as well as the best time(s) to call.

How to Find Us!

We are very excited to announce the latest way to support ORCA, get really cool stuff for your own dog and help save the planet all at the same time! Visit Helping Udders to order one-of-a-kind tugs made from very unique you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it RECYCLED materials, natural chews, toys, high-quality leashes, agility leads, rescue magnets and more! A portion of each sale benefits ORCA and your dog gets to have all the fun!! Don't forget to reference "Organization for Responsible Care of Animals" at checkout.

Organization for Responsible Care of Animals (ORCA)

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Adopting a friend

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