Ballydídean Farm Sanctuary fundraiser offers open house, banquet in Clinton

Ballydídean Farm Sanctuary will open its Clinton property to the public as part of its sixth annual fundraiser, turning a donation drive into a chance for island residents to see how the rescue operation works up close. The event is scheduled for Friday, June 19, with an open house at 5 p.m. at 3460 French Road, followed by a banquet at 6 p.m. at Cascadia Meadows on Maxwelton Road.

The evening is built around access and accountability. Guests will be able to meet ambassador animals, visit a photo booth, eat a vegan dinner, enjoy a free bar and take part in a silent auction. Tickets are $100, and the sanctuary says the fundraiser helps pay for ongoing care as well as future rescue work.

Founded in 2018 by Sarah and Ansel Santosa, Ballydídean was dreamed up when they were 15 and living in high school in Minneapolis. The couple bought the Whidbey property in August 2018, and the sanctuary now operates as a 501(c)(3) public charity on a 15-acre site. Its name is pronounced ba-lee-DEE-din, and the organization says its mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome unwanted, neglected or abused farmed animals.

That mission has taken on a distinctly local role on South Whidbey, where agriculture can create both a need for animal placement and a steady flow of animals in crisis. Ballydídean has said many of its residents arrived after surrender by owners, including some that came through Island County Sheriff’s Office neglect cases. In a 2023 account, the sanctuary said its pig population had reached 115 and had doubled each year for two years, while a later profile said the sanctuary housed more than 160 resident farm animals.

The sanctuary also leans heavily on public education. It hosts about five tours a week and roughly 1,000 visitors a year, giving people a chance to meet cows, chickens, pigs, goats, ducks and sheep face to face. Ballydídean says that direct contact helps people rethink their relationship with animals they usually only encounter on their dinner plates.

Financially, the annual fundraiser remains crucial. Ballydídean has said it can provide up to 10% of the year’s budget, while tours, donations and the fundraiser together cover about 60% to 70% of expenses. Grants have helped with educational and sustainability work, including a $5,000 award from Whidbey Climate Action for a food-waste recycling program.

That program now pulls unsellable produce from The Goose Grocer daily, The Clinton Foodmart every other week and Whidbey Island Nourishes five days a week. The sanctuary says it has diverted 105,000 pounds of produce from landfills since September 2024 and cut grain purchases for feeding 150 animals from 19,120 pounds in 2023 to 4,780 pounds in 2025. For Ballydídean, the fundraiser is not just a celebration. It is a window into the daily work of keeping rescued farm animals safe, fed and visible to the community that supports them.