Supporters of Last Hope Animal Rescue filled Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall in Wantagh on Nov. 9 for the nonprofit’s annual fundraising auction — its largest one-day benefit of the year.
From 2 to 6 p.m., guests enjoyed a buffet, open bar and live music while bidding on dozens of items to support the group’s mission of saving at-risk cats and dogs.
It was the second year Mulcahy’s hosted the event, which drew adopters, volunteers and local residents. For years, the auction rotated through historic sites such as the American Airpower Museum in Old Bethpage and Walt Whitman’s Birthplace in Huntington Station, but the lively concert-hall setting has become a fitting home as the fundraiser increasingly highlights “experience” and “adventure” prizes.
The auction helps fund Last Hope’s year-round rescue work. The organization places roughly 500 cats and 300 dogs annually, most of them abandoned or facing euthanasia in overcrowded shelters. Proceeds support food, supplies, transportation, and veterinary care — the group’s most significant expense. Since the pandemic, medical costs have continued to rise sharply.
Recent rescues underscored why the fundraiser matters. Stella, a kitten found after being struck by a car near Route 110 in Farmingdale, arrived with two broken legs and will require orthopedic surgery and possible amputation. Piper, a Beagle brought from Kentucky, needed specialized neurological surgery after volunteers discovered undetected nerve pain.
Guests bid on a weeklong Florida condo stay, New York Islanders club-level and box-seat tickets, a $500 MGM gift card, a Broadway package, a 65-inch Smart TV, signed sports memorabilia, home appliances, local attraction passes, artwork and restaurant gift cards. Organizers said the enthusiastic turnout reflected a simple truth: love may be free, but rescue takes a community.
To learn more about Last Hope, or to get involved, visit it’s website LastHopeAnimalRescue.org.
