As Thanksgiving approaches, many people are making their long lists of items to pick up for their holiday dinner.  Whether planning a meal for a few people or an extended family of 20, preparing Thanksgiving dinner requires a lot of ingredients.

So what’s the Wildlife Center shopping list look like for Thankgiving 2011?

Well, there’s always a bit of last-minute preparation — right now, the Wildlife Center has “dinner reservations” for 92.  Some additional patients might be released before Thanksgiving — but then there are always some last-minute “drop-ins”.  Included in our “guest list” are the two dozen education animals — permanent residents at the Center. 

For now, our Thanksgiving shopping list would include: 

• 61 mice
• 6 rats
• 4 fish
• 1 quail
• 2 cans of dog food
• 15 cups of dry dog food
• 2.5 cups of cat food
• 5.5 cups of bird seed
• 4 quarts of berries [strawberries, blueberries, blackberries]
• A dozen eggs
• Head of dark, leafy greens
• A dozen earthworms
• 5 apples
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup gamebird chow
• 1/4 cup chick starter
• About 75 acorns
• 50 pieces of rodent chow
• 1 cup cracked corn
• 2 big bags of carrots
• 2 heads of broccoli
• 2 heads of cauliflower
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 24 mealworms

Some last-minute substitutions may be made, depending on what the Wildlife Center receives from the ongoing weekly produce donations from Kroger in Waynesboro and Whole Foods of Charlottesville.   

Special thanks to the students at Farmington Elementary School in Culpeper for their participation in the bear cub food-drive – not only are they contributing to the bear’s Thanksgiving dinner, but they’re also providing Thanksgiving enrichment with the donations of pumpkins and gourds! 

Your donation will help feed the animals at the Wildlife Center of Virginia on Thanksgiving Day … and every day.