The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island annual Santa Paws donation drive is underway through December 31, as the aquarium seeks community support to collect various pet items and pet food for the Outer Banks SPCA.
As a holiday delight and thanks to guests for supporting the cause, the aquarium is offering one free ticket per reservation when a guest brings three pet items or a pet food item from the SPCA’s wish list. Santa Paws will run from December 1–31.
“The OBX SPCA moved to a new, beautiful state-of-the-art facility in March 2021. This building has taken us to the next level in terms of caring for our animals that rely on us every day and for that we are grateful,” said Chrissea Rothrock from the OBX SPCA.
“Our adoptions have increased, which means this enables us to take more animals into our shelter and ultimately save more lives,” Rothrock said. “Our main goal is to get every animal that comes through our doors any medical attention they need, care for their physical and behavioral health while they are with us and ultimately place them in a home.”
Rothrock touched on the impact of Santa Paws:
“Every year the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island hosts a Santa Paws Event for the OBX SPCA. This event from our friends has a huge impact on us. At this time of the year, we usually have a full shelter of animals to feed. Santa Paws collects lots of food and other donations and delivers them to us every year! The staff and animals at the OBX SPCA cannot thank the NC Aquarium and our community enough for their amazing generosity every year!”
The SPCA’s wish list of pet items and food items includes the following:
Pet Items: Microwaveable Cat and Dog Heat Pad, Cat/Dog Toys, Baby Bottles (Kittens/Puppies), Baby Blankets, Baby Food (Chicken or Turkey), Dish Detergent, Laundry Detergent, Bully Sticks and/or Buffalo Horns, 50 GAL Black Trash Bags with Drawstrings, 20 GAL White Trash Bags with Drawstrings
Food Items: Kitten/Adult Cat Wet Food (1 case or more), Kitten Milk Replacement, Dye-free Kitten/Adult Cat Dry Food (7lb. bag or more), Dye-free Dry Dog Food (7lb. bag or more), Wet Dog Food (1 case or more)
Advanced registration for guests with a Santa Paws donation, NC Aquarium members and general public can be made at the online ticketing system link below. Pet items and pet food donations can be brought to the main entrance of the aquarium and shown to a ticket cashier to redeem your reserved free admission.
The aquarium is located at 374 Airport Road, Manteo, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.