contributed photo One ton of cat litter was donated to the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown by Matt Gannaway. The shelter received two sizable donations in the past week.

The holidays tend to bring generosity out in folks, and nonprofits see an increase in donations. The Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Marshalltown is no different. Executive Director Austin Gillis said the uptick in donations is attributed to them reaching out with year-end appeals, and people feeling the “paw-liday spirit.”

That spirit came in the form of two large donations received in the past week. On Wednesday, employees from Farm Credit Services of America dropped off a large variety of items.

“From laundry soap and trash bags to treats and toys, they pledged $1,000 as well,” he said.

Last weekend the ARL was also gifted with 2,000 pounds — literally one ton — of cat litter courtesy of Matt Gannaway. Gillis said that is usually around 1,900 pounds more than the shelter usually receives.

Receiving two large donations in such a short period of time was wonderful and overwhelming for Gillis and his staff.

“Holidays can be a roller coaster for a lot of people,” he said. “Working in the animal rescue world, compassion fatigue is a big thing. So when someone reignites our passion with their compassion it is received very well.”

The large donations of either items or funds are welcomed, but Gillis said not everyone needs to make such hefty gestures. No donation is too small, as it all adds up. If everyone who follows the ARL Facebook page would give $10, the animals there would not have to worry about food, litter or healthy enrichment, he said.

“It all adds up and for people to take time out of their lives to give so that others may live is never insignificant,” Gillis said. “We want to thank everyone for their continued support. With the help of the community, we could become the gold standard for rescue shelters.”

In an effort to encourage donations of all sizes, ARL Volunteer Coordinator Erika Melchor suggested a new holiday campaign, the 12 Days of Christmas. Gillis loved the idea and asked her to organize it as soon as possible.

For the new campaign which starts today, people are requested to bring needed items to the ARL. Kicking the list off for Day 1 is squeaky or hard balls. The other items and days are:

Day 2, ropes;

Day 3, cat and dog treats;

Day 4, simple cat scratching pads;

Day 5, black garbage bags;

Day 6, cat ball toys;

Day 7, litter;

Day 8, grain-free dog food;

Day 9, sensitive cat food;

Day 10, donation for a spay;

Day 11, donation for a neuter and;

Day 12, donation in honor of a pet.

“It is new this year and depending on the response it may just be the first of many to come,” he said.

The 12 Days is not the only new ARL fundraising campaign that is ongoing. In September, the shelter kicked off a Venmo fundraiser. After the ARL signed up for a charity Venmo account, Gillis turned to Facebook to ask people to test the account through $1 donations. Staff were talking about how much the ARL would make with that, and a joking answer of $100,000 was provided. Gillis responded if they could manage to raise $100,000 by the end of 2024, he would eat a can of dog food. Thus, the public was given a new challenge — donate $100,000 and Gillis will eat a can of pet food on livestream. Since the challenge was issued, people have donated $60,000.

“The goal will be very hard to reach without everyone pitching in,” he said. “I have decided to do a livestream on Jan. 1 no matter what to let people know what the final number was and to thank everyone for their support.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.