ATLANTA – The Elk County Animal Shelter is having its annual Labor Day garage sale fundraiser at the Montmorency County Fairgrounds Friday through Sunday. The sale fills up the connected barns at the fairgrounds with an array of merchandise from vacuums to dishes, jewelry and collectibles.

“Everything is donated by the public,” Carol Young, shelter board president and fundraising chair, said. “We have four dropoff days to get everything here and a lot of volunteers to help unpack boxes, set up and work during the event. We have to fundraise to keep the shelter running, and are always in need of volunteers not only for the sale, but at the shelter everyday.”

Young said they still are looking for people to help lift and move the larger heavy items like the furniture before and during the sale. This year, a donation was made by the family of Angie Mowatt, a 90-year-old woman who was heavily involved in the shelter and its fundraisers from the start and continued to volunteer there for as many years as she could.

Mowatt’s daughter and son-in-law donated a large amount of jewelry, a beautiful array of lighthouses that were part of Mowatt’s collection, and several pieces of well-kept furniture from her home, saying the donation was something their mother would have approved of tremendously.

Other items at the sale include housewares, tools, sporting equipment and a large collection of books. Over 70 volunteers help with the sale every year, and Young said she appreciates all the hard work and hours each one of them donates to help.

“Nothing is priced at the sale, and we encourage people to make reasonable offers,” Young said. “It’s like a donation for the goods you find during the sale, and each donation goes to help the animals at the shelter in some way. We have a great state-of-the-art facility to help take care of the massive number of animals every year, and this fundraiser helps us continue to take care of those animals in need in our county.”

Young said the sale is a popular event, and she encourages everyone to come out and look at the selection of items available throughout the weekend. Visitors also are encouraged to get involved with the shelter and learn more about what happens there by attending any of the board meetings on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the shelter.

“New people and new ideas are always welcome at the meetings,” Young said. “Everyone is invited to come express their opinions and learn more about the shelter and what we do.”

Tickets will be on sale for the UTV raffle at the garage sale, which is another of the shelter’s fundraisers, with tickets sold through fall up to the weekend of the Elk Festival.

Anyone interested in volunteering for events or at the shelter can call Young at 785-3777.

Nicole Grulke can be reached via email at ngrulke@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5687. Follow Nicole on Twitter @ng_alpenanews.