Fresno TNR’s Meow Mixer Brings the Community Together

Fresno TNR’s Meow Mixer was exactly what the name promised: good food, great company, a lot of cat people in one room, and a shared mission that matters more every day.

---

Amazing Centerpieces - hand-painted by Volunteers as Door Prizes

The evening brought together supporters, volunteers, friends, and feline fans for a fun and heartfelt night focused on helping reduce feline overpopulation in Fresno and across the Central Valley. There was plenty of laughter, plenty of conversation, and thankfully, plenty of tacos.

Catered by Tacoliente (Fresno, CA)

Guests enjoyed tacos, beans, rice, and refreshing watermelon agua fresca, along with a beautiful vegan table featuring Green Goddess dense bean salad, fresh pita, hummus, and an assortment of vegan cupcakes, cookies, and brownies. A generous supporter also brought homemade medium and hot salsas, which quickly became a crowd favorite. Apparently, cat people also have very strong salsa opinions.

There was plenty of fun mixed in with the fundraising, from door prizes and donated gift baskets to auction items and the grand prize everyone hoped to take home: a 65-inch TV. Every ticket purchased, every raffle entered, and every donation made helped support the work Fresno TNR does every week to trap, neuter, return, and care for community cats.

And while the evening felt fun and festive, the reason behind it is very real.

Every kitten prevented from being born outside is one less kitten struggling to survive. Every cat fixed means fewer litters, fewer sick and injured cats, and fewer overwhelmed neighborhoods trying to manage a problem that grows quickly without help. That is why events like this matter. They give the community a chance to come together, enjoy a night out, and directly support a solution that works.

Of course, an event like this does not happen by magic, although a few magical cleaning cats would have been greatly appreciated. Volunteers worked behind the scenes assembling gift baskets, creating centerpieces, setting up tables and chairs, staffing check-in and ticket areas, answering questions, cleaning up, breaking everything down, and even laundering linens afterward.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who gave their time, energy, creativity, and probably a little bit of back pain to make the Meow Mixer possible. A special thank-you goes to Julie Werfelmann and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for their generous assistance and for providing the church hall for the event.

Our administrative team joined the celebration, and Fresno TNR founder Brandi Sherman greeted guests and shared a heartfelt thank-you with everyone who came out to support the cause. The night was a beautiful reminder that this work is not carried by one person alone. It takes volunteers, donors, supporters, and neighbors who believe Fresno’s cats deserve better.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/139959_2bef5e3dd0f749018a1f736ab3bfae3e/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Video summary of the event - A must-see!

The success of the Meow Mixer showed just how much compassion exists in our community. Funds raised from the event will help support spay and neuter services, outreach, and the ongoing effort to reduce the number of kittens born into homelessness.

To everyone who donated, volunteered, attended, cooked, cleaned, bought tickets, entered raffles, brought a friend, or simply showed up with love for the cause, thank you.

You helped make the Meow Mixer something special.

And for Fresno’s community cats, that support means everything.