EUREKA — Since 2008, the Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter has been a go-to spot for animal rescue in Lincoln County. After recently severing its contract with the county, the shelter found itself struggling financially.
That was until a local property owner approached the shelter’s director, Wendy Anderson with the idea of raffling off 32 acres of land for 20 dollars a ticket.
“I was a little bit skeptical at first because it sounded too good to be true,” Anderson said. “But after doing some research and checking with the legal teams and Department of Justice and all that, they gave it the green light and here we are.”
John Clarke, the current owner of the 32-acre piece of land, found himself in a position where he needed to sell the property unexpectedly.
So he decided to help the Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter by setting a goal of selling 100,000 raffle tickets in hopes of raising one million dollars to keep the shelter running and give it an upgrade.
“It dawned on me if we’re selling anyways, why don’t we try something crazy like partner with them and try to both of us benefit from the sale,” Clarke said. “So I came in and talked to Wendy and after she got up off the floor, she said, let’s do it.”
For Clarke, the animal shelter is a special place because that’s where he adopted his beloved dog Shadow 10 years ago.
With Shadow being an important part of Clarke’s life, he wanted to ensure the shelter stayed open and that it became a haven for any animals who needed rescuing in Lincoln County.
“You know [Wendy’s] a local hero,” Clarke said. “Her staff do amazing things. All of the people here, including myself, have had some interaction with this shelter that’s positive and rather than, you know, a small contribution or a little bit of help, we wanted to do something that would make a difference for many years to come.”
With the money earned from the raffle, the Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter plans to expand with a training area for pets and a vaccination and spay/neuter clinic for residents and pet owners to utilize.
The winner of the raffle would have three options for what they can do with the property.
They can either keep it and pay taxes on the property, pay initial taxes on the property and sell the land, or donate the land back to the shelter.
Raffle tickets will be sold until July 31, and the drawing for the grand prize will be held August 15. You can purchase tickets at https://dreampropertyraffle.org/
