A cursory glance through the pages of any newspaper, including the one you are holding in your hands or reading online, will demonstrate to you that fundraisers are held all the time in the area. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a week in which some organization, group or individual wasn’t holding a fundraiser for some well-deserving cause.

The annual Huron SPCA Animal House Dinner Auction is but one example of a local fundraiser, but it is one that deserves special mention.

The sixth annual Dinner Auction was held Friday night in Exeter and raised an impressive $77,000 that will help keep the SPCA shelter in Goderich open. After six years, the dinner auction has surpassed the $400,000 mark and has done a great deal to save many animals’ lives in the area.

Organized by a dedicated group of volunteers, the Animal House Dinner Auction is testament to the generosity of local individuals and businesses who see the value in protecting and providing shelter, care and love for animals.

A quote from the Huron SPCA website reads: "Every single day animals arrive at the Ontario SPCA Huron County Branch needing our help. We feed, exercise, bathe, socialize, play with and provide comfort to these abused, neglected and abandoned animals. We drive the wounded and sick to the veterinarian, change bandages, administer medications and monitor their recovery — with the goal of finding each animal a loving home.

"Last year hundreds of animals were adopted from the Huron County Branch Adoption Centre including cats and dogs of all ages, shapes, sizes and breeds, as well as birds, rabbits, guinea pigs and more!"

These valuable services provided by the SPCA would be in serious jeopardy if not for the tens of thousands of dollars raised each year by the Dinner Auction. Indeed, Dinner Auction co-chairperson Kate McKenzie told the Times-Advocate this week that before the Dinner Auction started, the Huron SPCA shelter was on a list for possible closure. Thankfully, because of the hard work of the volunteers and the generosity of those who donate to the Dinner Auction, that is no longer the case.

Everyone involved with the Dinner Auction deserves a pat on the back for what they do to help keep animals safe, healthy and happy.