SUBMITTED PHOTO Animal Rescue League Executive Director Austin Gillis gets ready to eat a slice of carrot from a can of Hillside Diet dog food during a Facebook live stream on Thursday. He submitted a challenge that if people could raise $100,000 before the end of 2024, he would eat canned pet food, and kept his word.

An October challenge issued by the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Marshalltown culminated in a hilarious Facebook live stream on Thursday.

The challenge issued by Executive Director Austin Gillis was to raise $100,000 by Dec. 31. If the public was able to do that, he would eat a can of pet food on live stream. The final total of money raised was $102,416.35, $10,000 of which was raised in the final three days.

During the online video, Gillis said he would be lying if he said he was not terrified in discovering the final result before revealing the amount.

“I will say I was pretty confident at the beginning we were not going to hit this goal,” he said.

Gillis showed what he was about to consume — a can of Hillside Diet Savory Stew with Beef and Vegetables dog food.

“We were starting off a vote challenge, whether it be cat food or dog food, but the results from the beginning were overwhelmingly for dogs,” Gillis said.

Exhaling and saying “OK,” he revealed the $102,416.25 total, while a staff member in the background was heard saying “Get on with it.”

Opening the can, Gillis was shaking and commented on the chunkiness of his culinary fate in a can. He added he was very happy the fundraising goal was reached as he showed the food being poured into a metal pet bowl.

“It’s about the only thing I am happy about right now,” Gillis said, gearing up to chow down. “OK. Here we are. No trickery.”

With a fork, he stabbed a carrot slice resting in amongst the beef and vegetables chunks before gingerly tasting it. Gillis said it was cold and asked if the food could be heated up. A staff member told him they do not heat the food up for the ARL dogs, and he responded that was fair.

Gillis’ face grimaced as he chewed the carrot slice and he noted how “carrot-y” the morsel was.

“That is not what I was expecting,” he said. “That is definitely not what I was expecting.

Gillis then stabbed a significantly larger chunk of beef, getting some of the gravy in his beard. His hand covered his mouth and told the viewers the chunk was too big to swallow. Gillis shook his head.

“I do not recommend,” he said. “I do not. I do not, at all, recommend this to anyone.”

Gillis took a drink of water before saying to the camera he never stipulated how much he would eat. He consented to one more bite. He hummed a tune as he chewed the final bite before bursting into song.

“I love animals,” Gillis sang. “Animals love me.”

After another drink of water, he was not sure why anyone encouraged him to take this challenge.

After Gillis recovered from his brief, protein-filled snack the next day, he said that if the community had not managed to raise the $100,000, he would maybe have eaten a dog biscuit as a consolation. However, the public’s response was overwhelmingly positive, he said.

“Albeit many people were grossed out,” Gillis said. “I had a donation come in from a lovely lady after we closed on New Year’s Eve. She rushed to the door and said. ‘Am I too late to add to the total?’ Of course, we allowed her to make her donation.”

He thanked everyone who supported the effort, and added it is humbling to realize how much money was raised in two months.

“The funds get put toward the repairs and fixes we need in the shelter along with a new outdoor Kennel Run,” Gillis said afterward. “This will also allow us to start final preparations for free classes for the community, including programs for school-age children on how to approach or meet new animals, what to do and not to do when approached by an unknown animal, education for first-time pet owners and many others. We also have a big project starting this spring with our Pet Cemetery. After a few big weather events of the last few years, it is in need of some sprucing up and repairs.”

If Marshalltown residents are waiting to see if the ARL does a similar challenge in the future, Gillis said they will have to stay tuned.

“I am ready and willing to do whatever it takes to give these animals and the staff that care for them the best possible organization I can,” he said.

Gillis said they are switching gears for the annual Furr Ball on April 5. The Furr Ball, previously called Whiskers and Wine, serves as the biggest fundraiser for the ARL every year. It will help pay for needed repairs and upgrades to the facility and grounds.

“It was a great first year as the director of the Marshalltown ARL full of highs and lows,” Gillis said. “We have learned a lot and look forward to 2025 with a fresh set of ideas and motivations. We hope the community will continue to support us moving forward, and help us make Marshalltown the gold standard in animal welfare.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.