Volunteers gathered around the fire and in the mess-hall tent in Tylertown at the Best Friends/St. Francis hurricane relief center on Christmas night.

After the animals were tucked in, their caregivers took time out to eat vegetarian and gourmet hors d'oeuvres to celebrate the holiday (Ross Hartill was the chief cook). A shopping list of goods was purchased in Jackson, Miss. especially for the occasion. Rain from the night before stopped and the weather warmed up a bit in time for the holiday.

Gifts made by hand the day before for the displaced pets were distributed on Christmas day. Then the volunteers settled in for their own party. Joining in on the festivities were St. Francis Animal Sanctuary Director Heidi Krupp and President Pam Perez.

"All in all, it was a really nice little get-together," volunteer Chuck DeVito wrote in an e-mail. "Jamie, a return volunteer, decorated the entire camp with Christmas lights and really made a difference. Francis was a super-star DJ and played everything from Bob Dylan, motown, blues, Sinatra, Big Band -- you name it, and he played it. Dr. Charlie entertained everyone by dancing nonstop until 4 a.m. and even put a Tylertown spin on the music by improvising his own lyrics."

Even though he said he missed his family and his critters at home in Minnesota, Chuck noted, "One nice thing about Christmas is that it's Christmas everywhere, and it was definitely Christmas here."

Article by Cathy Scott. Photo by Chuck DeVito

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