Shop local, find the perfect gift
By James Quinn
It’s that time of the year again—the holiday season—the time to give to others! And what impeccable timing, because I recently discovered another hidden gem that can help with your shopping—all while supporting a small local business—whether it be for the holidays, birthdays, or special occasions!
I just bought a handmade candle with hearts on it (made with love but not for me, mind you) from Terracotta and Linen—a gift shop that’s located on Suisun City’s waterfront (downtown and along the slough).
Established in 2017, Terracotta and Linen is a quaint shop because not only does it have affordable prices, but for such a small place that not many know about, it has a whole lot of a character. This gift shop carries more than just linen, it has an eclectic variety of goods that are American made and peak many different interests. “We sell all things that I love,” Owner Sylvia Caruso said, who named her store after its terracotta flooring and the linen that she specializes in (all locally handmade).
Caruso said that she sells: “candles, handbags, art glass, home decor, furniture, handmade table linens, and baby clothes. The baby clothes are lovingly and meticulously made [of linen] by my mother and others here.” You can come in looking for one thing but can be surprised by finding many other things to get for people (or yourself). Such things are wine baskets and wines, where Caruso sells affordable local varieties (both reds and whites) that are “off the beaten path,” she said. And—for our wine connoisseur readers—she plans to soon have pricier wines from the wineries in the Napa Valley.
Frequently changing her stock and displays, Caruso keeps her store exciting, and she’ll often design it in theme with the current holiday. In celebration of Thanksgiving, for example, she had pumpkin succulent centerpieces that live for weeks and make great hostess gifts (facebook.com/TerracottaAndLinen)—and right now—you can come in (at the time of this writing) and find gifts for the winter holidays!
One of the focal points of Caruso’s store, she told me, is its art gallery, with many pieces by Susan von Borstel. “Susan is a wonderful lady and an incredibly gifted painter,” said Caruso. “Her artwork has been featured on the covers of many art magazines, won many prizes and accolades, sells out at The Paso Robles Cattlemen’s Western Art show (and other shows) almost every year, was chosen to paint the different equine breeds at the Lexington, KY Horse Park, and is collected in many countries abroad.” Be sure to check Borstel’s website (susanvonborstel.com), where you can see brilliantly made paintings, many of which are animals that are stunning. Or, better yet, see her work in person at Terracotta and Linen, where you can get the perfect gift for someone.
In addition to Borstel’s art, the store showcases many artists with their work for sale. “We feature other artists and hope to have more,” said Caruso. “It has been a joy to meet the wonderful artists that so generously have shared their work with us, as well as the lovely people that have come in.”
It was also a joy for me to meet Caruso, a resident of Suisun City who first bought her home with her husband about 15 years ago. “We fell in love with it because the view was so beautiful. The fact that it was designed and meant for residential and retail purposes was a plus,” Caruso said.
She had the idea for Terracotta and Linen because she wanted to open a gift shop to give the community something unique. “I was inspired by all the beautiful things I saw and purchased in places like Sonoma and Napa and many other places,” Caruso said. “And I thought it would be great to provide our community with the same since there was nothing like it in the area. Getting the actual license was a little bit of work, but I had a lot of help from John Kearns and Jason Garben at Suisun City Planning and Development Department—they were wonderful.”
Caruso is not only a great person with a deep knowledge of linens and her store, but she also took a risk opening up a small business in her city, because she loves what she does. And, more importantly, she has a big heart and helps support not only the arts and crafts and small businesses communities at large, but also shops like hers reinforce a positive momentum for these communities that will ideally ripple out. While small businesses are not easy to sustain, they support each other and are an anchor for any town or city—so be sure to remember that shopping locally makes a positive impact on our community. Instead of browsing online, as comfortable as that sounds, buying at a shop makes that gift much more personable; that you actually went there and picked something out.
Terracotta and Linen is located on the beautiful Suisun City Waterfront promenade, a short walk south of the Harbor Master at 1125 Park Lane, and it is open every day that Caruso is home. “Get your hostess and Christmas gifts. Mention this article to receive 15% off your purchases,” Caruso said.
For additional information, feel free to email the shop at tclinen@gmail.com or give Caruso a call at (707) 426-9973. You can also conveniently receive updates by following her shop’s Facebook by giving it a “like”: facebook.com/TerracottaAndLinen.
James Quinn lives in Vallejo and teaches at Elmer Cave Language Academy. A UC Davis alumnus in English, he now studies education as part of Touro University’s Master’s in Education program. Along with teaching, he tutors and writes often. Email him at james.quinn@tu.edu. Visit his website at mrquinnj.weebly.com.
A family-owned Vallejo business provides emergency services for Solano and beyond
By Matt Larson
Founded in 1979 on Nebraska Street in Vallejo, Medic Ambulance is now celebrating its 40th year in business, now providing services in Solano, Sacramento, and Placer counties. What may surprise you is that whenever anyone calls 911 in need of an ambulance here in Solano County, with the exception of Vacaville, Medic Ambulance is the county’s exclusive ambulance provider.
“We’re not your average corporate health care provider,” said President and COO James Pierson. “One of the misconceptions is that we’re a public, tax-funded agency, or that we’re part of the fire or police departments, but we’re not! We’re a private entity that runs vital community needs.”
In order to provide emergency response for all of Solano County, aside from Vacaville, Medic Ambulance has two main hubs. The first is their Vallejo headquarters, now on Couch Street, and they have another deployment center in Fairfield, which is only temporary until they move into their new building in Suisun City this November. They also have 24-hour stations in Rio Vista, Dixon, and Benicia.
“We have about 320 employees and do about 56,000 calls for service every year between all three of the counties,” Pierson said. “We’re at 82 total ambulances as a company, with about 18 in Sacramento, so about 64 in Solano County.”
In addition to emergency response, Medic Ambulance also does a lot of hospital transports, providing Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and Critical Care Transport services. They don’t provide 911 response in Sacramento and Placer counties, but they do service nursing facilities, assisted living centers, and hospital transports in those areas.
“Our dispatch center is internationally accredited, so we can take any type of call,” Pierson explained. “So if somebody called our 7-digit number instead of 911, we would process the call just as if you called 911; we have a direct line to Vallejo PD and can get all the resources going, so if somebody wasn’t sure if it was a non-emergency transport they needed, we could help navigate them to wherever they need to go. But of course—we want people to call 911 in an emergency.”
Whether you call 911 or Medic Ambulance’s direct line, there is no difference in cost for the service. Again, Pierson urges everyone to call 911 first if there’s any doubt you could be dealing with an emergency situation.
“We provide a high level of service and our base rate is about $1,000 cheaper than other ambulance services that surround Solano County,” Pierson calculated. “I can attribute that to us having a very fiscally responsible family; the service we provide at the cost that we charge, compared to other providers in the region … our rates are very competitive.”
It’s not entirely unusual for such an emergency response company to be a family business, but family and community have been a major part of Medic Ambulance’s values since the very beginning. “We live in the community!” Pierson exclaimed. “And our friends and family live here too.”
Medic Ambulance was started by Pierson’s grandparents, Harry and Giannina Manfredi, along with his uncle, Rudy Manfredi. His aunt, Marisa Luchini (now retired), joined Medic Ambulance in 1980; his mom, CEO Helen Pierson, joined in 1988. Then between 1998 and 2002, Pierson joined the crew along with his sisters, Sandra Whaley and Cindy McBride, who are now the VPs of Communications and Quality, respectively, and his cousin, Kristi Kendall, who is VP of Finance.
“We really do consider Medic Ambulance as an integral community member,” Pierson explained. “Not just because we show up when you call 911, but because Solano County and the City of Vallejo is our family, so we try to be involved with the community as much as we can by supporting events, different nonprofits—anything we can do that makes our community better.”
They donate to the arts, to Rebuilding Together, to a variety of community youth programs … the list goes on and on, but the one commonality that all of their beneficiaries have is that they’re all dedicated to making the local community a better place. Pierson and his team, his family, are proud that Medic Ambulance can be a community partner in all of that. He estimates that over the last 10 years they’ve probably done close to $2 million in donations and community givebacks.
“Our number one goal is to make sure our citizens are taken care of,” Pierson said. “If people have an issue with an ambulance service, they can call us! And they’re going to talk to myself, my mom, my two sisters, my cousin—we’re all family, and we’re all owners. We can all help the person, and we care. If we can’t provide the service you’re looking for, we can help direct you to where you need to go.”
Medic Ambulance is the first ambulance company in Northern California to be certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS), which they earned in 2007. Now there are about 15 CAAS agencies in the region. “It’s what they call the ‘gold standard’ in ambulance service,” Pierson explained. “That’s something we wanted to achieve, not something we were mandated to achieve.”
Plus, their dispatch center is an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE). “We are one of 31 companies in the world to hold those dual accreditations,” Pierson continued. “So even though we’re a small ‘mom and pop’, we’re performing at a very high level.”
We highly recommend you read beyond this article to get a fuller picture of what Medic Ambulance is all about at their website, medicambulance.net. You can also call them at (707) 644-1761 or check out their headquarters at 506 Couch Street in Vallejo.
Medic Ambulance does a lot for our community and beyond. With state-of-the-art equipment, they’ve gone to San Francisco a couple of times to provide emergency assistance, spent 5 days at the Camp Fire in Butte County, and 4.5 days helping strike teams with fires in Lake County. They can also support Vacaville if their local system is ever in need.
“We’re not only a vital county resource, but we’ve integrated into being a regional and state resource as well,” Pierson asserted. “But we couldn’t be successful if it wasn’t for our employees: EMTs, paramedics, nurses, dispatchers, supply technicians, our management team—it’s a family approach to how we do our job, and we cannot be successful at all without the success of our employees. We’re very proud.”
Larson is an actor/comedian/director from Vallejo who lives a double life between the Bay and LA. When he’s not writing for Local Happenings Magazine he could be editing a short film or working on his next rap album—who knows!
Keep up with all things Larson at www.MarsLegstrong.com.”
Plastic Surgeons for the Greater Good
A local plastic surgeon takes his skills overseas
By Matt Larson
When it comes to something as involved as plastic surgery, what’s most important is that whoever is providing the procedure is safe, professional, and passionate about doing good work. We spoke with Dr. William McClure of Napa Valley Plastic Surgery, who explained to us how his practice consists of much more than meets the eye.
“Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have attracted a loyal following of patients who trust me, and continue to refer new patients,” he said, noting that it couldn’t be done without his manager and staff who are equally devoted to the care and comfort of their patients. “On my part, I strive to keep up to date on all advances in plastic surgery and continue to innovate.”
McClure completed his plastic surgery training at Stanford in 1984, shortly before being offered a position here in Napa by his senior partners, Jeff Reichel and John Zimmerman. “I was attracted by the fact that they were both excellent surgeons who had also trained at Stanford,” he said. “And a big enticement was that they offered me the opportunity to continue doing yearly overseas volunteer work.”
At this writing, Dr. McClure has completed 86 surgical missions spanning 16 countries. The majority of these missions he covers out of pocket and/or brings his own supplies, but donations and fundraisers also play a major role. If you’re able to contribute to the cause, the work he’s doing overseas is truly changing lives for the better.
“Children with congenital deformities, such as cleft lips, and those with traumatic deformities, such as burn scars,” receive much of his focus, he explained. “My proudest accomplishment had been in 1989, which was starting a plastic surgical teaching program in Vietnam. The program is thriving today.” He began a similar training program in Cuba in 2016.
“We are the only American program accepted by the Cuban government,” McClure stated. “As in Vietnam, it is humanitarian partnerships such as these that bring hostile countries together.” The Cuba program, by the way, is being completely funded by donors in the Napa Valley.
“Napa has never let us down,” McClure added. “Whether for hurricane relief in Honduras, a health clinic in central Africa, a mentoring program for at-risk youths—the citizens of Napa have consistently opened their hearts and their wallets.”
Wineries and local restaurants have donated to many of their fundraisers, some of which were held by the local Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, as well as some local churches. “One long-time Napa resident [who prefers to remain anonymous] has personally donated and raised over $850,000!” McClure exclaimed. It’s as if the support from the community fuels his passion to make a difference even more.
“If plastic surgery was a hobby, I would do it on the weekends!” he said. Now at 35 years in the business after completing his training at Stanford, he doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon. “I enjoy my patients too much, and I love operating.”
Looking forward, McClure plans to bring on younger associates, which will allow him to devote even more time to his overseas work, as well as volunteer projects closer to home.
To any readers who have previous experience with Napa Valley Plastic Surgery, Dr. McClure delivered the sad news to us that his partner of 25 years, Dr. Rebecca Jackson, suffered a devastating injury at the end of last year that may prevent her from ever returning to plastic surgery again.
“She is currently in a rehabilitation program and gradually improving,” McClure said. Her specialty was teaching microsurgery. “She has already donated her specialized microsurgical instruments to a volunteer organization which will continue the work that Becky held so dear … The outpouring of support from her patients and colleagues has been heartwarming.”
In 1998, Dr. Jackson helped to create Taboo Tattoo, a volunteer, community-based program that helps former gang members move on with their lives by removing any gang-related tattoos they may have. Since then, they’ve removed tattoos from hundreds of people seeking a better life for themselves.
From tattoo removal to traumatic deformities, McClure’s specialties run across the board, but he does have one particular skill that is rare among many plastic surgeons. “It may surprise readers to know that many plastic surgeons don’t do rhinoplasties [nose jobs],” he said. “These operations require a high skill level and a degree of artistic creativity.” That being said, rhinoplasties are McClure’s favorite cosmetic operation to work on. Always up for a challenge, he pursued this skillset early in his career.
“Early on in my training I became attracted to this operation and sought out extra training with two of the nation’s most renowned rhinoplasty experts,” he recalled. “I do many of those both at home and abroad. Doing rhinoplasties is as fun for me as carving wood or shaping surfboards, both hobbies of mine.”
Napa Valley Plastic Surgery provides basically every type of cosmetic surgery on the face and body, as well as reconstruction of the breasts and face after cancer treatment. Non-surgically, they provide Botox and fillers, skin resurfacing for wrinkle reduction, medical skincare, and laser vein treatment.
“We are also available to see patients in the emergency room for treatment of lacerations, burns, dog bites, and other traumas requiring repair or reconstruction,” McClure confirmed.
Throughout his career, McClure has been honored by the ReSurge International Foundation, he received the Sister Ann McGuinn Award for Justice from Queen of the Valley Medical Center, and was recognized by the Dalai Lama himself in 2005 as “an unsung hero of compassion” when they met each other at a special ceremony in San Francisco.
Give them a call for additional information at (707) 258-6053, or visit napavalleyplasticsurgeons.com to submit an inquiry, check out their blog, video clips, reviews and more.
With more than three decades of experience, and consistently voted as one of the best plastic surgeons in the region, consider Dr. McClure and Napa Valley Plastic Surgery if you find yourselves or your loved ones in need of their services.
Larson is an actor/comedian/director from Vallejo who lives a double life between the Bay and LA. When he’s not writing for Local Happenings Magazine he could be editing a short film or working on his next rap album—who knows!
Keep up with all things Larson at: www.MarsLegstrong.com.
SolTrans makes systemwide changes
Change is in the air, and Solano County Transit (SolTrans), the public transit agency serving Vallejo and Benicia, is making significant changes to its routes. Over the past two years, SolTrans has worked with the public to reimagine public transit in the region. The goal was to make the system more accessible and convenient to the riding public so that they could better connect locally and with other transit agencies in the Bay Area. Starting July 1st, 2019 those changes will take effect.
Routes 80 and 85, which serve Fairfield to the North, and Del Norte BART to the South, will combine into the Red Line. In addition to a new name, it will also have new stops. To the North, SolTrans will now connect with the Amtrak Capitol Corridor train service in Suisun City. This system will allow for riders in the region to connect not only to Sacramento but also to other destinations that Amtrak serves. A new stop will be added in North Vallejo, along Highway 37, which will not only help connect local riders to the San Francisco Ferry service, but it will also serve Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. This change means that visitors from San Francisco, Fairfield, and Suisun City will now be able to use the bus to visit one of Vallejo’s largest regional attractions while saving them the cost and hassle of parking. Another new stop will serve Solano Community College in Fairfield at Suisun Valley Rd. and Kaiser Dr. Finally, riders from Suisun City and Fairfield will now be able to connect with the Del Norte Bart Station without changing buses. That change will save SolTrans riders time and offer even more convenience for their daily commute to work.
Their plans for the local service will yield higher frequency and longer operational times each day. They accomplished this by focusing their routes along the high-use corridors of the community to maximize the number of people that are using their services. The increase of the frequency and duration will allow for more access for the public by making it both more convenient and more practical for them to make use of public transit.
On many routes, the frequency will increase to 30 minutes, allowing transit riders to get back and forth more quickly to work, medical appointments, or shopping. Riders will also now be able to ride the bus later. Buses will run until 9 p.m. on local routes, which will allow for those getting off work later to be able to use public transit as opposed to having to wait for a taxi or for friends/family to pick them up.
To be able to offer the use of buses more frequently and at later times, service on routes that were vastly underutilized had to be eliminated. To accommodate those riders, SolTrans has entered into an agreement with Lyft to provide subsidized service in Benicia and some parts of Vallejo to help replace some of that lost service. A nominal rate increase was also put in place to help fund the increased service and to account for inflationary cost rises that SolTrans faced.
Public transit becomes more viable the more people use it. In order to create a larger system, there has to be the ridership to support it. SolTrans hopes to create a public transit system that is more practical and serves the most people so that they can meet the needs of the community while encouraging greater ridership through better convenience. For more information about SolTrans and their upcoming changes please visit http://www.soltransride.com/planning/coa/
If you’re in the mood, head to AmCan for some golf, wine, and food
By Matt Larson
Our beautiful region is known for, well—its beauty! Rolling hills, lush landscapes, gourmet culture all around; we truly live in a nature lover’s paradise. What better way to enjoy it than with a round of golf? And if you’re also a wine connoisseur, Eagle Vines Golf Club in American Canyon is, without question, the place for you, regardless of your expertise in both wine and/or golf.
“Eagle Vines Golf Club caters to golfers of all types, whether you’re an advanced golfer or just beginning,” said General Manager David Griffis. “We have plenty of tee boxes that can play fair to anybody’s skill level.”
Many golf courses often have residential housing all around in plain sight, but at Eagle Vines—an 18-hole par-72 golf course—you will find nothing but nature along its panoramic view, providing for a fully immersive golfing experience.
“The golf course has just an absolutely beautiful layout that runs in and out of the vineyards,” Griffis described. “You’ll find plenty of wildlife—river otters down in the lake on Number 1, there was a bobcat up on the hill chasing birds, a lot of deer, hawks, jackrabbits—and yes, periodically you’ll find an eagle flying around. It’s just a great place to be.”
There are few better ways to celebrate a great round of golf than with a glass of wine, especially when it was grown right on the very premises you sunk that 12-foot putt. Eagle Vines’ limited selection includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, exclusive to the club and available by the glass or bottle, plus the restaurant on Eagle Vines’ premises has some great pairings to complement.
“The food is spectacular,” Griffis said. “Coupled with the view on top of the hill, looking down over the golf course and the vineyards, it’s hard to beat.” The Grill is becoming a go-to spot for American Canyon residents and beyond. “We have a pretty good lunch following, so even on a rainy day we stay pretty busy.”
During a heavy rain, the course is pretty much unplayable, although that isn’t necessarily a huge problem with aromas from The Grill constantly calling your name. But rain in the morning doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t golf for the rest of the day. “That’s one of the beauties of the golf course,” Griffis explained. “When we do catch a decent rain, the course is designed to shed water quite well, and it actually flows down into the vineyards.”
So if you awake to a morning downpour, or get interrupted halfway through your day on the course, you can always just head over to The Grill anyway, kick back with some awesome food and drink until hopefully, things clear up. Really, you’ve got nothing to lose. The worst-case scenario is that you have some good times at The Grill! Best case, you enjoy a round of golf as well.
Believe it or not, Eagle Vines can offer more than a golfing, wine-drinking, gourmet-dining experience. It’s also one of the region’s most sought-after wedding locations. “We have a grand pavilion that opens up on two sides to look out over the golf course and the vineyards,” Griffis said. “It’s a really beautiful view.”
Imagine the glorious setting of all that is Eagle Vines Golf Club—what could make it even more beautiful? A wedding, of course! You may even be able to enjoy some of their wines at the ceremony, and there’s no need to worry about flying golf balls to disrupt the matrimony as Griffis assures us the golf course is set “quite a ways” away from where they hold their weddings.
As a golfer himself, Griffis really enjoys the layout of the course. “I’m from Southern California, so I appreciate a lot of the trees and the wildlife that we don’t really get down there,” he said. The layout is actually designed in part by Johnny Miller, a professional golfer who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. So as the course is indeed beautiful, it’s also plenty challenging.
Assuming you’re completely sold on Eagle Vines Golf Club by now and have reserved your tee times already, their pro shop may be the icing on the cake. “We are a Titleist-exclusive facility,” Griffis said. “People can come in and get professionally fit by our staff, whether it’s golf clubs by Titleist, golf balls by Titleist—you can find any Titleist product here.” If you happen to be a proud owner of Ping, or any other brand of clubs, not to fear, Eagle Vines is accepting of all golf brands, but you can only purchase Titleist products at their shop.
Open to the public, Eagle Vines’ memberships offer some pretty great benefits. “We’re growing our membership and doing a lot of club events that we haven’t done in the past,” Griffis said. “We’re putting on more group outings for our members (i.e. different weekly events, club championships, etc.).” Recently members were able to compete in the Platinum Cup tournament, affording the winner with a platinum-level club membership. You can also find some holiday-themed events this season as well.
A staple community member, Eagle Vines is always providing what they can for local events and organizations. “It’s tough to say, but we gave somewhere between 800 and 900 rounds of golf away last year in gift certificates to different nonprofits,” Griffis said. They also helped the Napa Valley Community Foundation in December of last year by raising $21,000 for them to then disperse to victims of the 2017 fires.
Golf, wine, food, community, natural beauty—Eagle Vines Golf Club truly has it all. For additional information, head to their website at eaglevinesgolfclub.com, or give them a call at (707) 257-4470. Stop by The Grill, their pro shop, or just check things out in person at 580 South Kelly Road, American Canyon. Don’t forget: if you’re out on the golf course and you hear someone yell, “Fore!”—duck and cover instead of looking up. You’re welcome.
Larson is an actor/comedian/director from Vallejo who lives a double life between the Bay and LA. When he’s not writing for Local Happenings Magazine he could be editing a short film or working on his next rap album—who knows!
Keep up with all things Larson at www.MarsLegstrong.com.”
The Humane Society of the North Bay
By Nate Gartrell
The Humane Society of the North Bay has one of the toughest missions around, to house and care for the thousands of animals per year that are found wandering the streets of Vallejo and surrounding areas. As one might expect, this task can be very costly. Being a registered nonprofit, the humane society has limited means of acquiring funds, and a limited staff as well due to financial constraints, so the humane society relies heavily on volunteers and donors to keep the lights on and the cats and dogs socialized and healthy.
One fundraiser that stands out above the rest comes from the humane society’s neighbors, the Meyer Corporation. Owned by a company in Hong Kong, Meyer is the country’s largest distributor of kitchen utensils in the country. But each year (typically in late November and early December) Meyer’s Vallejo warehouse opens its doors for a limited time to give locals access to top-notch cookware for sale prices.
“It’s a huge deal for the community because they get these great bargains on well-known brands and normally expensive products,” said Kristen Eddy, who sits on the board of directors of the humane society. “For two weeks they draw in these huge crowds. There’s a line out the door every day.”
At the same time, the company has found a way to turn the sale into a charity event to benefit the shelter, encouraging shoppers to give donations at the checkout stand and pledging to match each of those donations, dollar for dollar, up to $15,000.
“It’s just wonderful for us to have this support from the community,” Kristen said. “[The Meyer Corporation] could pick any charity in the area … the fact that they pick us … it’s incredible and really an honor for us.”
This year, the sale will begin on Nov. 29th and last through Dec. 10th. The annual event is now going on 22 years and Kristen said that every year Meyer has solicited donations, the Vallejo community responds with at least $15,000 in gifts, which is automatically doubled thanks to the company’s contribution. And anyone who has worked or volunteered at an animal shelter will tell you: every dollar makes a difference. In a typical year, the humane society finds homes for around 1,500 animals.
“Everything we get goes into shelter operations,” Kristen said. “We’re not a city municipal shelter, we work on the thinnest of shoestrings, and our community is not one of the wealthier shelters you see in certain parts of the Bay Area. But even so, we find that there are people who donate, even if it’s just a dollar, and we love that.”
All told, the sale has brought in $300,000 over the years between Meyer’s contributions and donations from the community, Kristen said. “We always have tons of plans for services we’d like to offer but everything is hampered by financial restrictions. Donations are just so important. They’re our lifeblood.”
Like many who sit on the humane society’s board of directors, Kristen—the board president until her term ended last June—started off simply doing volunteer work at the shelter, which she continues to do today. She said most of the shelter’s day-to-day expenses come from medical costs, from spay/neuter services to healing injuries. As any longtime volunteer will tell you, work at a shelter and you will witness sad stories as well as happy ones.
“Sometimes there are just extraordinary medical bills,” Kristen said. “We work with some great veterinarians in Vallejo but if a dog comes in with a broken leg or jaw, or a cat has been badly injured, it is our mission to take care of them in a humane way so they’re not suffering and get the treatment they need.”
However, other looming costs are on the horizon: the City of Vallejo—which owns the land where the shelter sits—has recently given the humane society two years to pack their bags and find a new home. Kristen said city staff are helping to find a new location but knowing a (likely expensive) move is on the horizon has tightened the shelter’s purse strings even more.
“All shelters go through this, but we work on such a reduced budget that all these decisions are really significant and have an impact,” Kristen said. “A large donation like that, from Meyer, makes an enormous difference in our ability to shelter these animals every year.”
In case you were wondering, the humane society is looking at other spots in Vallejo and will more than likely stick around town, Kristen said. “We’ve been here since 1986, and we’re not planning to march off somewhere else.”
If you’re interested in stopping by this year’s sale at the Meyer Corporation, it is located at Meyer Plaza, near the intersection of Curtola Parkway and Napa Street in Vallejo. The sale goes from Nov. 29th to Dec. 10th, and all 200 local Meyer employees will be there to participate—it’s an all-hands-on-deck event.
If you’re not able to make it, but still want to contribute in some way, the shelter is always looking for help, so feel free to drop by and sign up for volunteer orientation and training. The humane society also accepts monetary donations and other gifts year-round.
“There is 100-percent reward from doing this kind of work, every person who comes in here, even if they’re in a bad mood, is going to leave in a good mood. They’ve done something to help an animal,” Kristen said. “We just thank the community for supporting us. We do our best and make the best use of their donations as we possibly can. The community keeps us going and we love that.”
If you’re interested in volunteering, adopting a pet, getting your cat or dog spayed or neutered, or dropping off a stray animal, the Humane Society of the North Bay is located at 1121 Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo. You can also reach them at (707) 645-7905 or by visiting www.hsnb.org. The humane society is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track.
