The annual blessing of the pets has been rescheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Mount Airy. The service was postponed on Oct. 7 because of rain.

The event is free and the public is invited. Donations are encouraged and proceeds traditionally go towards a group that benefits animals. One such group, The Sergei Foundation, has been chosen to receive the proceeds from the blessing again this year.

Sergei Foundation Founder Karen Fullerton explained the group is named in honor of a family Siberian Husky, Sergei, who died from health complications. After 12 and a half years with the family, Sergei was unable to recover from the effects of the anesthetic.

She said that the foundation has helped 45 animals so far this year with $16,000 being contributed directly to veterinarian care. People may get more information on the foundation at www.sergeifoundation.org.

“We don’t have a rescue location,” said Fullerton. “We are a local, non-profit group. You can see where your donation goes. We are transparent. We routinely cover six counties in the area if we have the funding. We also post pictures of the animals on our website. Most of the time we have happy endings.”