Oct 25, 2002 By Josh Krysak 2 min read

Area residents will get a glimpse at the county’s new animal shelter this weekend. On Sunday, Noah’s Ark of Fayette County animal shelter will hold its Harvest Festival from noon to 5 p.m. to help raise money for the shelter and to allow area residents to see their new facilities along Atlas Road in Hopwood.

The festival will feature crafters and food vendors, as well as the animals of the shelter, and a portion of the proceeds from the sales will benefit the shelter.

Noah’s Ark, which moved to its current location in September, has been in operation since June and is a no-kill facility that, to this point, has operated on funding from the municipalities it serves, but, according to treasurer Jani DiMarco, those funds are running short.

“We strictly rely on municipalities for funding, and that’s not enough, not enough to keep a no-kill shelter going,” she said.

DiMarco said the shelter is in desperate need of heat for the winter, something it does not have.

“We have no heat for winter, which is very important, so we need a furnace, and we also need fencing,” she said.

The Uniontown resident, who has worked with animals for the past 25 years, said the shelter will enable area residents to get involved in helping the community and saving animals’ lives.

‘We have a lot of people volunteering and putting time in there on the weekends, working outside, trying to plant grass and things like that,” she said. “People can make a donation; they can walk animals. We are asking people to bring Clorox bleach, which we go through like crazy, to keep the place clean,” she said.

DiMarco also said that people can adopt a pet Sunday at a cost of $50, with a partial rebate upon buyer’s proof of spaying or neutering.