Fundraiser in Adams Will Aid Pets in Aftermath Of Hurricane Florence

Kathy "Skippy" Hynes, a former military flight nurse, has a new mission: "To get a volunteer team together to drive or fly all these [pet] supplies down to the Carolinas as a Christmas present to different rescue operations."

The Berkshire Eagle reports today, Saturday,  the Adams Ale House will host a family-friendly "Dance for Doggies," featuring seven bands, from 2 p.m. to midnight tonight, along with a dinner buffet.

Saturday's musical lineup includes the Four One Trio, Benny Israel, Immune Friction, Human Talk, Pavlov's Dogs, Livio Grivani and Dead Electric Forecast aka DEF. Donations of pet and livestock supplies will be collected.

Admission proceeds and raffles will raise money to help Hynes' efforts to support animal shelters, and help rescue and care for animals in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina and South Carolina. A sponsor, Tito's Handmade Vodka, which actively supports dog-rescue efforts, will match every dollar raised, up to $500.

Hynes' nonprofit operation, Got Spots Etc., recently was granted federal tax-exempt status, and includes board members Maureen Chittenden, treasurer, and event coordinator Mike Mach. The organization raises money to provide food, shelter and veterinary care for animals in crisis, and helps coordinate rescues and adoptions from areas in crisis to homes in the Berkshires.

Hynes, a registered nurse and a certified animal-assisted therapist, has been regularly rescuing dogs, cats and other domesticated animals since 1999. Before that, the Cheshire resident rescued a cat from Saudi Arabia while serving during Operation Desert Storm.