Animal Rescue offers 'A Day in the Country' fundraiser

Hope Ranch Animal Rescue, which recently became an official nonprofit organization, is celebrating its new status with a fundraiser in the Malibu countryside.

The event, "A Day in the Country," will take place on May 18 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature entertainment by the Westside Jazz ensemble and a silent auction to benefit the animal rescue. Food will also be served.

Hope Ranch is owned by Lori Morris, and is named after her mother, Hope. The ranch is home to about 100 animals, from horses and llamas to pheasants and guinea pigs. Attendees are welcome to roam the ranch- about 80 acres off Encinal Canyon Road in the Santa Monica Mountains- or visit the animals in the ranch's petting zoo and other areas.

Hope Ranch Animal Rescue is at 1172 Encinal Canyon Road.

For information and to RSVP, visit www.hoperanchanimal rescue .com.

Suggested donations are $25.

- Joann Groff