An effort is underway to build the region’s first sanctuary for feral cats, plus an affordable clinic for low-income pet owners.

Hilmar resident Narline Borges is the founder and CEO of the Ellington Feline Foundation. Borges filed for nonprofit status in September and is currently raising funds for a parcel land that would be home to a feline sanctuary, where strays would be spayed or neutered and received any necessary medical treatment. Additionally, funds are being sought for a building — to purchase or rent — that would be the base for an affordable veterinary clinic for both dogs and cats.

“Stray cats eating out of garbage cans behind Walmart — and nobody does a lot about it,” said Borges, a veterinary technician for the past 20 years. “I’ve been seeing this need for a while.”

Borges said the problem is getting progressively worse.

“And it’s not just here,” she said. “It’s in Modesto and Atwater and Merced. I see it everywhere in the Central Valley.

“We’d like to build the sanctuary wherever we can get land. Sometimes, people have distressed land that they’re trying to get rid of.”

The Ellington Feline Foundation’s first public event — a grilled cheese and tomato soup fundraiser — was held last month in Turlock’s Crane Park, and Giving Tuesday was the foundation’s latest attempt to raise funds. A Paw-lentine’s Day brunch on Feb. 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, 3001 Hotel Drive, will be the organization’s next fundraising endeavor.

Tickets, which won’t go on sale until after the new year, can eventually be purchased for $40 — that covers brunch and a mimosa bar — by visiting EllingtonFelineFoundation.com.

“We’re looking for donors, grants, volunteers, that kind of thing,” said Borges. “We’re in the really early stages right now. We’re doing a lot of awareness postings, just so people know who we are.”

For more information, visit the foundation’s website, or visit their Facebook and Instagram pages. To make a donation, you can visit the website, or call Borges at 209-585-6340.