Animal rescue centre's annual holiday event gives back to the community

Little Ray’s annual Christmas event celebrates the holidays with animal shows and a local food drive

Little Ray’s, one of North America’s largest exotic animal rescue centres, will be hosting their annual Christmas event on Dec. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at their Hamilton location. The purpose of their event is to give back to the community. For admissions into the zoo, Little Ray's will be accepting non-perishable food donations. All food donations will be given to Neighbour to Neighbour, a local food bank and community service organization.

“This year, we heard that the food bank was even getting utilized even more than past years. So we figured, why not offer free admission with a donation of two new non-perishable food items per person,” said Amanda Steen, the director of the Hamilton branch of Little Ray’s.

The event will feature a self-guided tour throughout the zoo, along with interactive live animal shows every 15 to 20 minutes. Some of the featured animals include snakes, lizards, armadillos and ferrets. 

The Little Ray's Christmas event had been an annual tradition before the COVID-19 pandemic, but they had to downsize their space during the pandemic. This year's Christmas event will feature the same activities as in pre-COVID years and it will offer larger prizes in its annual charity raffle.

Each year, the proceeds from the raffle are donated to a different charitable organization. The organization is chosen by Little Ray's staff based on whichever organization they feel is most in need. This year, they will be donating to the Hamilton/Burlington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Steen acknowledged that though pet owners have a close bond with their pets, they may still be forced to give them up during hard times. As a result, she hoped that this year's donations to the SPCA will help mediate this and support continued shelter for local pets.

Additionally, they hope to reach more people, get more canned goods and raise more money compared to previous years to ease the burden of food insecurity during the holidays for families through their Christmas event.

Steen also emphasized that Little Ray's not only works to care for animals, but also for the community, and as such they're committed to giving back to the community in whatever way they can.

"We are a people organization. We care about our community and each other and it's just as important to help each other. So I hope that when people come, they will not only feel like they're helping somebody else and other animals, with SPCA, but also have more knowledge on where those resources come from,” explained Steen.