Good Shepherd Humane Society’s first fundraising event in three years was a big success.

The organization held the first Fancy Feast event Sunday, Nov. 20, at Le Stick Nouveau restaurant in Eureka Springs. The event was sold out, included a live and silent auction and raised nearly $14,000 for Good Shepherd.

“This was a new event for us,” said Cole Wakefield, executive director of Good Shepherd. “We’re coming out of COVID. We went almost three years without a large fundraiser. We were trying to kind of ease back into it.

“This looked like a great way for us to see how our first in-person fundraiser would be, and it was great.”

Wakefield said Brandon and Donna Cox with Le Stick Nouveau offered their restaurant for the event and provided the fivecourse meal for the 64 attendees.

Local artists donated silent auction items and The Enchanted Flower Company provided floral arrangements and centerpieces.

That contribution of the restaurant and meal made the event “low intensity” for the Good Shepherd staff, Wakefield said, and helped keep the organization’s costs down for putting it together.

“Because of Donna and Brandon’s contribution of the venue, essentially all of that money, or a large majority is going to go directly into our mission and sustaining our operations here, which includes everything from our daily sheltering operations to the food support programs we have,” Wakefield said.

“It was a great way to kind of help get us set up on solid footing for next year. Like every nonprofit, we try our best to be fiscally responsible and to end our year with a good, strong budget. And it looks like that’s what’s going to happen thanks to this fundraiser … it’s going to get us off on the right foot.”

Once again, Wakefield said he came away grateful of the people in the community who continue to support Good Shepherd.

“This community has supported Good Shepherd for nearly 50 years through thick and thin and they continue to provide great support to us,” he said. “The community should be really proud of what their support has built here at Good Shepherd, where we not only are able to impact and change and save lives here in Carroll County, but a lot of the work we do spreads on out throughout the state and throughout the region.

“For such a small county organization that has such a large impact, is exceptional, and that really speaks to the community support. I brag about my community everywhere I go, and people are amazed at what we’re able to do despite our tiny size.”

More Fancy Feast events will almost certainly take place in the future, Wakefield said.

“Since this worked out so well for us, you’ll probably see another Fancy Feast, one or more a year, in the future,” he said.