“Cats,” the national Broadway tour, comes to The Lincoln Center Nov. 11-13, and the venue has partnered with Animal Friends Alliance to host a supply drive for the cats under their care called Cause for Claws.
“Holding a drive dedicated to our feline friends felt like a natural fit,” said Taylor Roberts, the publicity and marketing specialist for The Lincoln Center.
This is not the first charity partnership of The Lincoln Center. Prior to COVID-19, the venue ran a drive titled Gifts For Good that benefitted Crossroads Safehouse in conjunction with “The Color Purple” showcase. According to Roberts, The Lincoln Center aims to host at least one charity or community event annually.
“Our goal is to be a community center where people come together for meaningful, shared experiences,” Roberts said. “From presenting professional performing arts in a variety of disciplines such as dance, theatre, comedy and music to being a venue for local arts organizations’ performances, we are dedicated to bringing arts and culture to the community.”
“Cats,” winner of seven Tony Awards, follows the story of a tribe of cats congregating together for an annual ball at which a decision regarding which cat will be reborn is made.
“We are expecting that more donations will be made during the run of ‘Cats’ the musical, but perhaps as important as the donations has been the increase in awareness about who we are and the services we provide and being able to collaborate with The Lincoln Center.” – Jordan Dunn, director of community engagement at Animal Friends Alliance
“The fact that ‘Cats’ has been around this long really shows just how special this production is and is something people of all ages can enjoy for the first or 50th time,” Roberts said.
Those wishing to donate can drop off items at The Lincoln Center, located at 417 W. Magnolia St., during business hours through Nov. 13. They can also drop off at the Mulberry location of Animal Friends Alliance at 2321 E. Mulberry St., Suite 1 during business hours and let staff know the donations are for Cause for Claws.
“Our greatest needs are for cat litter (clumping or non-clumping), canned cat/kitten food, dry cat/kitten food, liquid dish soap, hand soap, paper towels, bleach, HE laundry detergent pods (no liquid detergent), plastic zip ties and trash bags (drawstring 13 & 33-gallon sizes),” said Jordan Dunn, director of community engagement at Animal Friends Alliance.
According to Dunn, the goal of this drive is to not only raise supplies but awareness of the value of adoption and the many resources Animal Friends Alliance offers, such as financial assistance programs and a pet food pantry that offers free food to owners in need.
“The drive has been a great success so far,” Dunn said. “We are expecting that more donations will be made during the run of ‘Cats’ the musical, but perhaps as important as the donations has been the increase in awareness about who we are and the services we provide and being able to collaborate with The Lincoln Center.”
The shelter is currently responsible for approximately 300 cats, some of which are available for adoption. Others may be in foster care, undergoing socialization or medical care. The shelter also has plans for expansion.
“Cat lovers might be excited to know that we are building a new cat shelter at our Taft Hill campus,” Dunn said. “We will be adding 11 colony rooms where cats can be comfortable in larger shared space and adopters can get to know them in a more home-like environment. We plan to have the new shelter completed in late 2022.”
Those who are interested in learning more about the shelter expansion can visit bringingpawstogether.org. Tickets for “Cats” can be purchased at www.lctix.com/cats.
Reach Brooke Pippin at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @brookepippin00.
