Friends of animals have an opportunity to help the Shelby County Humane Society and drink some good wine at the same time.

The Humane Society’s board of directors is planning its first fundraiser with the help of Ozan Winery.

The event, known as Bark and Wine, is set for Saturday, April 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ozan Winery in Calera and will feature tastings of the winery’s offerings and food and desserts to go along with those wines, prepared by Chef Wendy Bowman.

Bark and Wine will also feature a silent auction and the evening will end with a fireworks display.

“We hope that Bark and Wine will help people become more aware of the Shelby Humane Society and what we are trying to accomplish within the community,” said Jennifer Miller, Shelby Humane Society board presidents. “Placing pets in loving homes will always be one of the shelter’s top priorities, but we are doing so much more to impact the lives of pets and people in Shelby County.”

As the shelter’s needs and programs grow, so does the organization’s budget.

“Fundraisers like this one help us raise money that we need to run on a day-to-day basis,” said Ronda Mink Steciuk. “Like most other nonprofits, we have so much more we’d like to do, just not the funding to make it happen.”

Steciuk said despite what people often think, the shelter is not affiliated with any other humane society, nor does it receive any ongoing funding for day-to-day operations from other state or national organizations.

A limited number of tickets to the event are available and are on sale now. Individual tickets are $30 and couples tickets are $50. Tickets can be purchased on the shelter’s Web site at ShelbyHumane.org or by calling 669-3916 ext. 21.