THUNDER BAY – It has been tough for Murillo Mutts and Northern Reach to keep up with the demand for service in Thunder Bay and they have gotten creative with ways to fundraise.
On Saturday evening, Waggin Whisky was held at West Thunder Community Centre, in support of Murillo Mutts and Northern Reach.
Attendees were able to sample five whiskies paired with a small bite-sized dish created by chef Fred Sorrell of The Neighbour’s Cooking that complimented the whiskey.
Robin Ratz, founder and chair of Murillo Mutts, said Northern Reach and Murillo Mutts try to help as much as they can in animal welfare.
“It's really hard to fundraise, so we have to come up with really unique ways. We decided to run a Waggin Whisky,” she said.
With tickets being sold out, Ratz really felt the support from the community.
“I'm very humbled by it.
“We just took in a cat that was hit by a car and has a dislocated hip that cannot be put in. We have to have surgery on that cat next week.
“These kinds of events are so important to us to raise some really big funds,” she said.
Ratz said the emcee will explain how the whisky is made, what flavours are in the whisky and the chef will pair a food to bring out those flavours even further.
“It's just going to be a really fun evening,” she said.
Murillo Mutts Respite Refuge was founded to help people keep their pets, Ratz said.
“That's our mandate. We help with vetting funding. We'll take in animals until an owner can resume care.
“Although we're called Murillo Mutts, we take in every animal. We have horses, we have pigs, we've taken in reptiles. There's no animal we haven't taken in.”
Ratz said Murillo Mutts tries to help whoever they possibly can.
“We've been pretty busy lately. We're not big enough to meet the mandate in the community.”
The events are only successful because of the volunteers that pour in their time and effort, Ratz said.
“My volunteers are really important. We call them family. They're not volunteers, they're part of the Murillo Mutts family.”
Fred Sorrell, chef and owner of The Neighbour’s Cooking, got involved because it felt important to him personally.
“I figured with the way that my business plan is – it’s about getting myself into neighbourhoods and really trying to be a part of what the community is.
“Being a part of something like Murillo Mutts is a great opportunity for me to really stake hold in what community should be. That's taking care of one another and taking care of our animals and everything in our community,” he said.
Sorrell said with just over 100 people attending, it’s exactly the size he thinks it should be.
“I've been doing bigger events but this is a great size event for what we're doing,” he said.
The menu for Saturday evening was a five-course appetizer/amuse-bouche style menu, Sorrell said.
“Every course will be two or three bites of a different thing that's paired with a different whisky that has been choice selected for the event.
“Different things from a smoked salmon crostini with a marzipan butter spread. There's a grilled shrimp skewer, a lamb skewer, we have a baked brie with a hazelnut and marmalade mix kind of deal,” he said.
Sorrell’s business, The Neighbour’s Cooking, is a pop up kitchen style.
“What I do is, I go around and I do kitchen takeovers, whether it's a community centre or a restaurant.
“I work the day out of there with a totally different menu each and every time. Each menu is supposed to have its own legs and stand up on its own. Maybe I'll do 4 to 5 courses that I'm just bringing to the community for one night,” he said.
Visit The Neighbour’s Cooking on Facebook for more information.
Murillo Mutts is currently running a 50/50 with a maximum payout of $12,500, with the draw taking pace on Dec. 29.
For more information on Murillo Mutts, to donate or to access services visit their website.
