Warm Hearts Humane Society

Question: What do fried fish, friends, fur and a guy in a big green St. Patrick’s Day hat have in common?

Answer: Raising money for a worthy cause.

All of that came together Saturday, March 30, when the Warm Hearts Humane Society held its second annual fish fry fund raiser at the Joplin Volunteer Fire Department.

Co-sponsored by the Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa, the Joplin Store, and the Joplin Volunteer Fire Department, the event provided fried fish dinners for close to 200 people who turned out and enjoyed good food and fellowship and, most importantly, support the year-long efforts and programs of the WHHS.

And, the best news of all, through food purchases, donations and silent and live auctions, just over $7,800 was raised for the Pat Paradies Emergency Animal Fund to provide veterinary services to needy animals in Montgomery County.

The event was held from 4-7 p.m., and early in the day things weren’t looking very good as far as the weather goes.

The morning was filled with overcast skies and rain with a bit of chill in the air. By early afternoon the rain had stopped. Then, shortly before the 4 p.m. start, temperatures warmed a bit and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. It made for a wonderful late afternoon/early evening setting.

For just $5 a plate, those attending enjoyed fried fish, French fries Cole slaw, hushpuppies, iced tea or lemonade and deserts, including some great strawberry shortcake.

There was live music, provided by Phyllis and Freddie Davis and Friend, and of course the auctions, where a large number of items were up for bid, both silently and vocally.

Of the total $7,800-plus raised, just over $5,000 was the result of the auctions.

The WHHS offers a great big thanks to all those volunteers who helped put this event together and make it such a huge success and to those who donated items to the auctions. Of course, a special thanks to those who purchased auction items as well as to everyone who turned out to support this annual fund-raising event.

Oh yeah, that guy wearing the big green St. Patrick Day hat was none other than Ricky Lee, who once again served as the auctioneer.

Okay, everyone agreed, Ricky didn’t look much like a leprechaun, but he sure did work his magic and help provide the WHHS with a little pot of gold at the end of this rainbow day.

(Click here to view additional photographs of the event.)