Well, it's been a very quiet year at Rustic Hollow since February and our last fund raiser of the year. The cats in residence don't know that things have changed, because for them, things have not changed. Their caring staff come daily to tend to them, give them their food, clean their houses and spend time with them.
   The cats have not noticed that there are no visitors, none of their volunteers, coming in to see them over the past months since March.
Due to Covid-19, we closed our sanctuary to all  incoming cats, visitors and volunteers.
So it has been much quieter year at Rustic Hollow. All of our fund raisers are cancelled through end of year if not beyond. That registers as a lot of lost $$$$ to help us feed and care for the 218 cats that call Rustic Hollow their 'furever' home. 
  We thank all of our supporters who have stepped up and given what they can to help us continue our work with special needs animals. The donations of dry and wet food are so appreciated and much needed.

In August, 23 counties in Iowa were devastated by a sudden inland hurricane, a Derecho, that went through several states causing the loss of 10 million acres of crops; destroying hundreds of homes and doing much damage. We were fortunate enough to be spared from the severity of that storm as the counties that were hit are about 3 hours or less south of our sanctuary. A Derecho maintains wind of over 110 mph, similar to a category 3 hurricane. 

​A Very Happy Valentine’s Day Wish from all of us a C & W
We have a ‘Fun’ ‘Fun’draiser for you this February


All of the furkids, staff, Board of Directors & volunteers at Rustic Hollow wish you a great New Year in 2020 and a Happy Valentine’s Day too. Marigold, Cricket, Deuce & Olivia, Gracie Mae and ALL the R.H. furs have a purrfectly pawsitively fun fundraiser so you can help them raise some $$$ for our Valentine Treats (and Carmen says our vet work too..ugh)…. but here are some ways you can share the love with others and with some of us very special furs at Rustic Hollow.
Our Valentine Tree
Remember a special pet or person on our ‘Valentines Tree.’ It is bare and waiting for you to fill it with hearts. On each heart we will place the name of the person or pet you wish to honor or remember and your name will also be on the heart.
Honor your pet or a person in your life for only $10 per honoree.
Your gift will help fill our tree with hearts and help with medical care for many felines at Rustic Hollow.
For $15 (each) we will not only place a heart on our Valentine Tree, we will send a Valentine to the person you are honoring. So be sure to have mailing addresses for any valentines you would like sent out. And the name’s of the pet(s) or persons you are honoring.
Send as many as you wish for just $10 per person or pet... We want to fill our tree(s) this Valentine’s Day. LAST year it took THREE Trees to get all of your Valentine honorees on. Let’s do that again.


So from all of us at Rustic Hollow, Happy Valentine’s Day.
We look forward to your Valentines for our tree. You may also make your own heart and send it for us to place on the tree. Be sure to include WHO the heart is for and have Your name on it too.
You can also write what you want on the heart.

Pictured here are VIDEOS of our caregiver team who braved the 30 degree February 1st temps and did their part to raise funds for the cats in their care.  Very proud of our team!!

Hannah Keller's first time with our ice bucket challenge

​​Izabelle Bunn's first year of our 2nd Annual Ice Bucket Challenge. She was a trooper!!

Pictured here are photos of our caregiver team who braved the 30 degree February 1st temps and did their part to raise funds for the cats in their care. Very proud of our team!! First photo below is team member GINA DEVRIES who received the most donations and was awarded with a prize for being FIRST PLACE. Her words just before being doused, were "We love our kitties!!!"

ABOVE: BRODY DEVRIES, Rustic Hollow volunteer, also participated in the Ice Bucket challenge-with a smile!!

Brandy Hudson, gets a bucket from Board Member Jennifer Biby, who also participated in the event.

This was Izabelle Bunn's first year of our 2nd Annual Ice Bucket Challenge. She was a trooper!!

It was also Hannah Keller's first time with our Ice Bucket challenge. 

Team member and caregiver at Rustic Hollow, Preston Walker took it all in stride. It wasn't his first 'dunking' as he has done a couple of the river 'plunges', diving into the cold water. His experience shows as he was calm as can be!

Last but not least, Preston gets to turn the bucket around and 'share' it with R. Hollow Board member and coordinator of the event, Jennifer Biby. She and  Brandy Hudson worked together on this year's challenge fund raiser. Thank you Jennifer!

And here's the whole group getting ready to 'take one for the team.'  On the far LEFT is Brianne DeVries, caregiver and our staff Photographer with a CAPITAL P. She takes absolutely fantastic photos and you can see more of her photos and photos from other staff on our Rustic Hollow Shelter Facebook page too.

C & W’s Rustic Hollow Shelter, Inc.
P.O. Box 67 Nashua, IA 50658-0067 ~ Phone:  641-435-2036
​email:  ​cwshelter@wildblue.net ~ website:  www.rustichollowshelter.org 

​JANUARY 2020 ‘FUN’dRaiser’ for the Rustic Hollow Furs
​Rustic Hollow’s Polar Ice Bucket Challenge Fundraiser January 2020
​Our caregivers need your help!!!!! 

​Our Rustic Hollow team is excited about helping raise funds for their kitties that they care for every day. Some of our team have volunteered to have an ice-cold water bucket dumped over their heads IN January (outside) – (in Iowa) to help promote our Rustic Hollow felines and our mission to help special needs cats. 

​Our team has agreed to the challenge but are asking you to match or double match their ages in a donation to Rustic Hollow. The challenge is to see which team member can get the most matches in $$$ to their age (and the most $$$). That caregiver will receive a $50 bonus for their charitable act of a real cold shower in January. So, who’s ready to donate? 

​Please choose one caregiver, or two, (or more) and match or double match their ages in $$$. Or match all 9 of them ($250.00) and be sure to MARK each one that you are donating $$$ match to. 

​Join the fun! Donate now and we will have videos and photos for proof posted on Facebook; and in the next newsletter. So please specify which age (caregiver) you are matching. Please help with this fundraiser that our Rustic Hollow team members want to do.

​Here are the names and ages you need to match. Just send this letter back with the name checked so that they get credit for your donation. We have a terrific team at Rustic Hollow, and they are up for the challenge to have a 5 gallon ice water bucket dumped over their heads. So, lets reward them with lots of donations to match or double match their ages!!! We are very excited and thank you for your support!!! 

​Please check which ones you are matching their ages in $$$ and return this with your donation. 

​You can send a check made payable to:  C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter and send to C&W Rustic Hollow Shelter P.O. Box 67 Nashua, IA 50658-0067

​You can also send your donation via Pay Pal. Our Pay Pal address is cwshelter@wildblue.net if you send your donation by Pay Pal please put a note on their which team member you are matching $$$ for, so that they get credit for your donation. 

Name                                        Age                              Match                        DOUBLE MATCH
​____ Brandy Lou                   31                                 _____                        _____
____ Gina DeVries                 50                               _____                        _____
____ Brody DeVries              14                                _____                        _____
____ Preston Walker            22                                _____                        _____
____ Izabelle Bunn               19                                 _____                       _____
____ Hannah Keller              18                                 _____                       _____
____ Faith Crabtree              18                                 _____                       _____
____ Jennifer Biby                38                                _____                       _____
____ Angela Smith              40

​Total ages all:                         250                             $250 match all        $500 DOUBLE match all                                        

​Please donate generously and help make this a ‘fun’ ‘fun’draiser! the Rustic Hollow Team, & all of our furs Thank You!!!! 

​Jennifer Biby, Rustic Hollow Volunteer & Board Member 

C & W’s Rustic Hollow’s annual OPEN HOUSE will be held on SUNDAY, AUGUST 11th, from 10AM-4PM. If you haven’t had the “Rustic Hollow” experience, then this is the place to be on August 11th. Rustic Hollow is the largest special needs feline sanctuary in Iowa. Our 321 feline residents live comfortably, cage-free, and have TV’s with ‘catsitter’ videos to watch and screened, secure, outdoor catios and playrooms as well. A caregiver team of 14 care for the felines daily and our many volunteers help in a myriad of other ways. Visitors are always welcomed, by appointment.
Email us for directions (cwshelter@wildblue.net). You will need directions or physical address for GPS. Our staff will be selling Walking Tacos all day long with so they can help raise some money for the Rustic Hollow furs too. We have a truly fantastic staff. Please greet each of our animal care specialist in each building you visit and thank them for the hard work caring for the felines daily needs and giving them TLC. Dress is definitely casual-jeans or slacks preferable, as the kitties will be anxious to greet you and may stretch up on your legs (or be on your back if you lean over). Of course, sitting on the floor remedies that and you can have a kitty pile for hours. You can start in any of our six buildings/homes you want and be sure to visit Wanda at our log home where some very senior and hospice kitties reside with us. There is a creek separating our log home from the other 5 sanctuary buildings and a walking bridge between them. You can park in either driveway. Please bring friends and family and come visit the cats for an hour or for a longer stay. Some people spend a great deal of the day with kitties in each of the buildings and that is encouraged too. If you have not been here before, now is the time for you to visit and see what we are about. If you cannot make it that day, you are welcome to visit any day of the week between 9AM and 1PM, our visiting hours. Spread the word. We’d love to see you on the 11th!!!

tOn May 1st our Rustic Hollow caregivers waited tables for tips at the Waverly Pizza Ranch, raising money for their furbabies. From L front: Faith Crabtree, Emily Heath, Dannielle VanBrocklin ( red shirt)  Liz Wegner (kneeling) and Brandy Hudson and Brianne DeVries.
Back row: Keisha Stough, Shelli Cagley, Nick Cagley, Brody DeVries (volunteer) and Gina DeVries. Missing from picture but present at the Pizza Ranch: Jordan Haught.

C & W’s Rustic Hollow Shelter, Inc
P.O. Box 67, Nashua, IA 50658-0067
cwshelter@wildblue.net


A Very Happy Valentine’s Day Wish from all of us a C & W
      We have a ‘Fun’ ‘Fun’draiser for you EVERY February

Dear friends… All of the furkids, staff, Board of Directors & volunteers at Rustic Hollow wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day. Marigold, Cricket, Deuce & Olivia, Gracie Mae and ALL the R.H. furs have a purrfectly pawsitively fun fundraiser so you can help them raise some $$$ for our Valentine Treats (and Carmen says our vet work too..ugh)…. but here are some ways you can share the love with others and with some of us very special furs at Rustic Hollow.
Our Valentine Tree
Remember a special pet or person on our ‘Valentines Tree.’ It is bare and waiting for you to fill it with hearts. On each heart we will place the name of the person or pet you wish to honor or remember and your name will also be on the heart.
Honor your pet or a person in your life for only $10 per honoree.
Your gift will help fill our tree with hearts and help with medical care for many felines at Rustic Hollow.
For $20 (each) we will not only place a heart on our Valentine Tree, we will send a Valentine to the person you are honoring. So be sure to have mailing addresses for any valentines you would like sent out. And the name’s of the pet(s) or persons you are honoring.
Send as many as you wish for just $10 per person or pet... We want to fill our tree(s) this Valentine’s Day. LAST year it took THREE Trees to get all of your Valentine honorees on. Let’s do that again. You can send your donation and honoree requests to PO Box 67, Nashua, IA 50658-0067.
You can go through paypal (our addy is: cwshelter@wildblue.net) and leave a message or email me that the donation goes to....

Check out our Rustic Hollow Shelter-a Special Needs Animal Sanctuary FACEBOOK page for daily updates and photos of the feline residents at Rustic Hollow. You will find our fund raisers posted and you will meet many of our caregivers, who take the time to post photos of their kitties and keep you updated as well.

Go to : https://www.facebook.com/groups/cwshelter/

You will meet a lot of really cool cats! Check out our January 2019 "Ice Bucket Challenge" that our caregivers are daring enough to do to raise money for their kitties.
​

 On 6-10-17, Wanda and I and Connie Phillis and Anne Myles went to Waterloo for the Cedar Valley Roller Derby last home game of the season. The Brawlers and their Junior team, the Mad Catters, are all animal lovers and particularly cat lovers. Part of the team visited R. Hollow in May and spent a long afternoon loving on the cats. We were the organization chosen for their last home game fund raiser and we truly appreciate the invite and the wonderful donations we received from their raffle and from the spectators who enjoyed the night. The Brawlers won big on their last home game against a Wisconsin team. And the Mad Catters debuted during half time. It was a 'fun' "Fun"draiser for Rustic Hollow. Pictured below from Left: Volunteer Connie Phillis, Anne Myles, supporter and volunteer who joined us for the evening, and Wanda Orric, the "W" in C& W's Rustic Hollow Shelter.