The Winter Sanctuary Donkey Doo Fundraiser

MOUNT VERNON – Regardless of how well the donkeys perform, ticket holders to The Winter Sanctuary’s second annual Donkey Doo fundraiser will have a better chance of winning this year.
This year, the homeless shelter will make available 600 tickets, 200 less than were sold last year, said Winter Sanctuary Board Member Terry Walter. Fewer total tickets means a better chance of winning, he said.
The donkeys are the “workhorses” for the homeless shelter’s second annual Donkey Doo event, 2-7 p.m. Aug. 10. The proceeds will go to shelter operations.
Donkeys will be released into a field marked as a grid made up of squares. Each square corresponds to a ticket number. When a donkey’s dropping falls on a square corresponding to a sold ticket, the holder wins a prize. Tickets are $5 each.
The prizes are:
• An overnight stay at The Mount Vernon Grand Hotel and a $50 gift certificate from The Alcove Restaurant & Lounge.
• A 49-inch High Definition TV from Herald’s Appliances and Electronics.

 • A $350 gift certificate from Y-Not Cycling & Fitness

The event will take place on a field at 11660 Upper Gilchrist Road in Mount Vernon, behind Knox County Head Start and the Knox County Health Department.

Primed with the right snacks, the donkeys recruited for this year’s fundraiser should do their business and get winners established in a shorter time. “We will feed them carrots to help them be more productive,” Walter said. Also, there will be at least five donkeys this year. There were three last year.”
Ticket holders don’t have to be at the event in order to win, but the donkeys’ rambling can be fun to see. Spectators can watch the action from behind a fence that will enclose the field.
The donkeys, which are owned by Robin Platt, are about the size of a small pony. “They are gentle and beautiful to see,” said Walter.
There is a backup plan in case no, or insufficient, droppings are forthcoming from the donkeys: Volunteers will toss Styrofoam balls onto the field to simulate the dispersal of droppings.
Tickets may be purchased by calling Walter at (614) 679-3852 or the shelter at (740) 392-9277; by messaging the shelter through its Facebook page; or directly from the shelter, 401 W. Vine St., during business hours, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.