A yoga fundraiser on a Delta farm is raising money to support livestock and pets displaced by the wildfires raging across the province.
North Delta’s Sweet Serenity Yoga and Wellness has partnered with Perfect Pastures Animal Sanctuary to host Fridays at the Farm, a biweekly outdoor yoga series in East Ladner (9939 Ladner Trunk Rd.) with proceeds benefiting wildfire relief efforts and the sanctuary, itself a haven for farm animals and a temporary home for domestic pets needing immediate refuge.
“In addition to sending food to Northern communities and rescuing and re-homing cats, dogs and other animals, there’s another urgent need right now,” Jenine Lehfeldt, owner of Sweet Serenity and volunteer at Perfect Pastures, said in a press release. “Farm animals evacuated from wildfire hot spots in B.C. and Alberta are in need of food.”
Perfect Pastures owner Maggie Ferguson, a dedicated defender of animal welfare for over 40 years, is collecting donations for Purity Feed Co. in Kamloops to help purchase animal feed for horses, cows, sheep, goats, alpacas and chickens impacted by the wildfires. Ferguson is also volunteering with the BC & Alberta Emergency Livestock/Animal/Horse Evacuation Support Group, a relief operation working to evacuate and provide medical care for livestock affected by wildfires in both provinces.
Last year, Perfect Pastures has collected and shipped about 27,000 pounds of food to rescues, food banks and northern community support workers, bulk packaging the animal food and enlisting the help of friends and Lower Mainland transport companies who travel to remote areas.
READ MORE: From Delta with love, Maggie Ferguson helps northern pet owners with food
Sweet Serenity has also organized several local fundraising initiatives for food banks, mental health programs and, most recently, a plant and bulb sale at the end of May that raised over $1,000 for Perfect Pastures.
Fridays at the Farm kicked off on July 9, raising nearly $450 in its first outing of the summer. More sessions are planned for Aug. 6 and 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., followed by fitness classes from 7 to 8 p.m. — participants of all levels are welcome. The Aug. 6 sessions will feature Hatha yoga and Zumba, while the Aug. 20 session will be Flow yoga and Refit.
A minimum donation of $20 per class is required; pre-register at clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/mainclass.
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