Three Tauranga animal-lovers are hosting a charity festival in Papamoa on December 10 to give back to struggling animal rescues and educate the community on the vital work these groups do.

Misha Gildenberger, Missy Ingram and Fran Harvey have created RescuesPalooza – a one-day, market-style festival with 20-plus stalls offering everything from jewellery and candles to face-painting and vegan food at Papamoa Sports & Recreation Centre.

Entry to the event will be via donation of animal food or animal-related supplies at the door, which will be distributed to the rescues. 'We have donkeys, horses, chickens, cats and dog rescues, so you can bring any item related to these animals. The more goods, the merrier!”

The rescue groups will also have their own stalls stocked with products and information about the work they do – so far Vada's Angels, Pet Food Pantry and RRR have confirmed their attendance.

Friends Misha, Fran and Missy see RescuesPalooza as an opportunity to educate the Western Bay of Plenty community on the animal rescue work being done locally.

'All three of us have worked in animal care and fostering for years,” says Missy. 'There are so many tough cases and a lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes.

'We want to bring the rescue work to the forefront so that people know what's going on.”

The trio live and breathe animals. Fran runs ‘Moggies,' a rescue for cats and kittens; Missy is a professional pet-sitter; and Misha runs a dog behaviour academy.

In their spare time, all three catch and help sick, lost and stray cats, and have even bought a microchip reader to help identify lost dogs and return them to their owners.

The team is excited to have so many vendors on board already for RescuesPalooza on December 10 at Papamoa Sports & Recreation Centre – and have their sights set on expanding in future. 'We're aiming for this to grow,” says Misha. 'We're starting with a little market this year, then hope to expand to two RescuesPalooza's next year.”

While the day will be all about the animals, event-goers are asked to keep their own pets at home, with RescuePalooza being held indoors. 'For me, this is a feel-good event, with something for everyone,” says Missy. Misha agrees. 'My heart is fulfilled when I do something like this.”

More event details are at: https://www.facebook.com/rescuespalooza