West Suburban Humane Society's Mother's Day Weekend Plant Sale kicks off Friday

Many a Mother's Day weekends have been spent at the West Suburban Humane Society's Annual Mother's Day Weekend Plant Sale. It's a tradition that is still going strong, despite COVID and all the challenges the pandemic has brought events and fundraising efforts. The 2021 plant sale will take place at Doggie Depot in Downers Grove 1-7 p.m. on Friday, May 7, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, May 8. The event typically draws hundreds of eager gardeners, and the Humane Society expects this year will be no exception.

"Many attendees come year after year. They buy all their plants for the summer season at this event," said Christina Morrison, director of development for the West Suburban Humane Society.

Much like the 2020 event, this year's sale will follow state and local COVID-19 guidelines. There will be designated pull-in and parking spaces for shoppers, social distancing and enforced crowd limits, a mask requirement and plenty of hand sanitizer and gloves available for all. While shoppers do not need to purchase a ticket or reserve a time slot for the event, they will be asked to remain in their cars until a spot to shop becomes available. Morrison expects wait times to be reasonable, and any time spent in the car is made up for by browsing the unique plants and specialty items for sale throughout the weekend.

"We're taking all the necessary COVID precautions. We want people to know we're doing everything we can to enhance the safety of the event and are following all mandated regulations," said Morrison.

Shoppers can stock up on a variety of plants, flowers, herbs and vegetables. They can choose from classic offerings such as petunias as well as more unique offerings, including chenille (aka caterpillar) plants and lantern fuchsias. Volunteers from the Humane Society handpick each year's selection from Sunrise Greenhouse in Grant Park to ensure that shoppers can purchase the freshest items from Sunrise's abundant collection of varietals.

The Mother's Day Weekend Plant Sale is the Humane Society's third largest fundraiser of the year. All proceeds from the sale go toward the animal shelter's operating costs and animal care. Morrison said much of this year's funds will cover high veterinary costs that are essential to the health and safety of the organization's animals.

In 2021, Gerald Subaru of Naperville signed on as the plant sale's first corporate sponsor. The dealership helped cover the cost for additional COVID safety measures such as signage and social distancing barriers, which allowed the Humane Society to focus on taking care of their animals and raising funds to continue their important work.

"Gerald Subaru has been a great partner to us for the last several years and are extremely supportive of our rescue efforts," said Morrison. "We really appreciate their support, especially throughout the pandemic. They're helping us come out of this time even stronger."

Gerald Subaru of Naperville has a long history of supporting and honoring pets and animals of all shapes and sizes. Giving back to the Humane Society is yet another way the dealership is supporting efforts to help man's best friend. As more people continue adopting animals during the pandemic, Gerald Subaru is right beside them, doing their part to support animal and owner needs.

"It's more important than ever to support organizations like the West Suburban Humane Society, which are a vital part of the community," said Alec McKean, Vice President of Service for the Gerald Auto Group. "We love the opportunity to support our local community as well as the animals that become such a huge part of their owners' lives."

For more information on the West Suburban Humane Society, visit: https://www.wshs-dg.org/news-events/upcoming-events.

For more information on Gerald Subaru of Naperville, visit: https://www.geraldsubarunaperville.com